With Bated Breath
by GayMargarita
Summary: Sometimes life hands us things we think we may not want. But Asami finds herself wanting more than she's ever wanted anything. It's like she's discovered blue for the first time. CEO Asami / Woodworker Korra Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Black. No sugar. Yes, the usual. Thank you,"

A flip of a few bills and she moved down to the end of the bar, they never bothered for her name anymore. The baristas stopped asking a long time ago and simply scribbled the five letters down on the cup. Benefits of being a regular, she guessed. Her back was to the sunlight streaming through the café windows, the sun danced a little higher in the sky than the usual time she came to this place every morning. Which meant the walk to work east from here was going to be annoying. She mentally scoffed. _How many drinks did I have last night? Six? Or…Christ._

Her alarm this morning was outrageous, and the slight hangover headache did nothing to make that screeching sound any less annoying. She had drug herself from bed, moving slower than usual, but let's face it. There was no real rush to be to work on time. So the shower took a few minutes longer and her pace a few steps slower.

She had a feeling this Friday morning was going to be all around irritating.

"Large drip for Asami,"

She moved to grab her cup, enchantingly long black hair catching slightly in the air. She saw her name scrawled under the lid. And something else written peeked up from under the paper sleeve below. Her hand shifted it down slightly. Numbers. She glanced to shift her green eyes to the worker who placed her order and made the drink. Dark hair, smoldering eyes. A smirk on his face when he noticed she was looking. A somewhat unfamiliar face, but she'd seen it in passing a few times here.

 _Fucking new guy._

What the hell did his nametag say? Iroh?

 _Fucking Iroh._

She shot him a less than pleased look and turned out the door, her cup to her lips that ended leaving a slight crimson lipstick stain she only subconsciously noticed. The air had that sweet crisp morning taste she always loved. Well, as crisp as city air could get at least. Her walk was only a few blocks but the air was helping her headache. Except for that sun glaring in her eyes, shining down on her like punishment for last night's drinking decisions. She sighed, feeling a sudden vibration and chime from her pocket. Fishing the phone out, Asami glanced down and squinted to see the message displayed across the screen.

" _Have fun last night?"_

She took another sip, feeling the warm liquid bring her another step towards wakefulness. With a glance up and a slight shift to the right Asami narrowly avoided a man walking his dog down the street towards her. This light was definitely not helping her eyesight. She looked back to her phone to reply.

" _I'm never doing that on a Thursday night again, Opal,"_

Whose idea was it to sit at the bar and take a drink for every frat boy they say? On college night? On thirsty Thursday? She felt an almost immediate buzz from the phone in her hand. _"Well it's a good thing tonight is a Friday night cause I'm making you come out again!"_

A Satomobile's horn blared as it flew past her on the street, the noise pounding into her skull. If she felt like this now what was Saturday morning going to feel like? Somehow Asami always gave in to Opal's peer pressure, even though her better judgement told her no. _Let's go drink, she said. It'll be fun, she said._ This hangover definitely wasn't. Opal had known her for years, she knew all the sly ways to get Asami to stop working and hang out with their her. Asami knew all these ways too, aware of the pressure her friend exerted, always intending to say no. And yet time after time she ended up at some bar or club with Opal every other weekend. Sometimes more.

" _Two nights in a row what's the occasion?"_

" _Asami, does there ever have to be an occasion?! Good friends and good drinks are all you need!"_

Opal was going to be the death of her. Or that's probably how she's going to feel tomorrow morning at the rate her friend buys drinks. And it's a Friday. Opal on a Friday night means _shots._ She'll be fucking dead for sure. Asami looked down to her phone to respond, sunlight creeping in her peripheral vision, thumb skimming across the screen.

Except she never got to finish that text. Eyes down, Asami collided with something solid. All she saw was sunlight and blue eyes and coffee fucking everywhere.

 _Are you shitting me_ … She looked down, her cream blouse soaked with the warm liquid that previously resided in her cup. It all happened so quickly and so slowly at the same time. Asami's mind was blank and she only thought of the smell of coffee and the headache.

"Holy shit! I'm so sorry! I turned this corner and fuck! Didn't see you and…,"

Asami didn't move a muscle in her body except those controlling her eyes, vision snapping up to the voice coming from the person she'd just crashed into on the sidewalk. That voice instantly captured her attention in a way Asami was not expecting, a voice that pushed into her chest with subtle tones and a rich exotic flavor. Her view was filled with warm hues on tan skin and dancing blues in wide eyes. Not a sight she was expecting either, but fit so well in combination.

"Shit that is all over you, your shirt is-"

"Dior,"

"Uh…the fuck is Dior?"

Asami closed her eyes and suppressed a slow building rage. _An accident, Asami. Just an accident._ After letting a held breath out, she looked back up, to the woman standing in front of her with an equal amount of coffee on her clothes. It was on grey plaid mixed with…dust? And why was there an overwhelming scent of pine trees? But it was those eyes that caught her breath unexpectedly, deep and passionate and raw. Blue was not a color that normally held Asami's attention but she was swimming in it now. A few blinks returned her mind to reality. She did not have time for any of this, as much as her eyes wanted to stay looking into those others.

"Look. Forget it, I'm already late to work,"

She sidestepped and continued down the sidewalk, tossing her now empty cup into a nearby trash can. _Oops, there goes that phone number. What a shame._ Asami turned her head back to take one last glance at the woman who singlehandedly ruined hundreds of dollars in designer clothing in a matter of seconds. Her gaze was returned with the same stare, with an addition of deep blue and a hint of curiosity. A small smirk crept on her lips. If it had been any other day she may have stayed to admire a new city sight longer.

 _Fucking Fridays._

"Come on, Korra!"

"No!"

"Please, pleeeeeeeease!?"

"I already told you I need to finish!"

"Korra you've been working for days already!"

With a sigh she scrubbed her face with her hand. A familiar scent of pine filled her nose and she peeked between fingers to see green eyes staring at her, pleading. Almost like a puppy. It was just about pathetic, the way those stupid puppy eyes made her think twice. There was so much work still to do, and not a lot of time to finish.

Korra put her hand and pencil down, giving those eyes her full attention. "Bolin you know this deadline is important,"

Her friend put a packet of paper he had been holding down and waved his arms around. "Yeah not if you're dead for over exhaustion! Get it? Dead? Deadline?" He laughed at his own stupid joke. "You need a break, seriously!" Bolin's tone of voice changed a little softer. "I'm just asking for you to take one night and go enjoy something that doesn't involve working and deadlines and clients,"

She knew Bolin was right. They had been friends for years. He even was her shop manager, taking care of orders and commissions and everything to do with keeping this place from sinking. And taking care of her when Korra sunk deep into her own work. Bolin knew her well enough to have a good idea on when she really needed a break. Korra had been working for days, hardly even going home. Even though her apartment was literally the next floor up. This shitty little hole in the wall studio that she had painstakingly built into a woodshop, one machine at a time, this was her real home. Coffee and cigarettes and dollar tacos had been her only fuel for what seemed like forever.

Maybe one night would give her mind a much needed recharge, especially after that stupid ass coffee incident this morning. One moment she's turning the corner down to that little coffee shop needing a heavy dose of many espresso shots, and the next Korra's drenched in another person's drink. But Spirits, the person that coffee belonged to was breathtaking. Long dark hair that framed a face with a near perfect bone structure that shouldn't be natural, lips the color of those deep red winter sunsets, andChrist she had legs for days. But those beautiful emerald green eyes that Korra could sink into and not even care she was being swallowed whole, those were the most capturing things she had ever seen.

Korra breathed out another sigh, purging the thoughts from her mind. She definitely needed a drink. Or like ten. "Alright, you sneaky bastard. Where did you say we're going?"

Bolin's expression brightened and he punched the air. "Yes! Bolin, master of puppy eyes, wins again!" He started scrambling his papers back together and ran into the dim office across the room, shouting behind him. "I can't remember what it's called, some club on 10th and Waterway. It's barely three blocks down so we could walk it and meet them,"

Korra raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Them? I thought you said it was just your girlfriend?"

A face peeked out of the office, visible through the doorway. "Oh and Mako too. Maybe another person or two but I haven't heard anything about that for sure. I'm not even sure who she invited," Bolin came back out with his light grey jacket in hand and slipped his arms through over an olive button up, closing and locking the door behind him. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah let me lock up, I'll just leave all this out. Lord knows I'll be right back in here tomorrow," Korra reluctantly got up from her work bench, taking a mental note of where everything was placed and grabbed her brown beanie, shaking dust from it. Flicking off all the lights, she dug a ring of keys from her pocket and secured the door as they walked out into the dark, quiet alley together.

She turned to head down the street but was swept into a sudden bear hug, knocking the wind from her. A huge grin was on Bolin's face, his eyes squinting in a sincere smile. "Korra! You're in for a great time! Shots on me!"

Her blue eyes rolled as he placed the tan woman down, shuffling around in her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Menthol American Spirits. She fucking loved menthols. A warm flame from a zippo lit the end of the cigarette from her mouth and Korra inhaled deeply, letting smoke and nicotine and contentment fill her. "All the shots on you? Hmm,"

Bolin flashed a grin, "Considering you haven't been out of that shop in like five days, hell yes. You deserve it,"

Korra shot an equally wide grin back at her companion, "Can't argue with that, lead the way,"

"So how it is that I've never seen someone as gorgeous as you around here before?"

Pursing her lips and swirling a finger on the edge of her wine glass, Asami mentally sighed. This guy was trying way too hard. She wasn't even dressed up, wearing a black leather jacket that was still able to pleasantly hug the curve of her body and the red V-neck shirt underneath. Ever her dark jeans and boots didn't scream Ralph Lauren, as her attire usually did during the day. Sure he was a pretty attractive guy, well okay a bit more than just attractive. Jet black hair styled up in the front, with his unusually bright and warm brown eyes, and a little red keffiyeh wrapped around his neck. He was definitely not an unappealing slight, Mako was just not someone Asami was attracted to. Heh, Mako. He shared the name with a shark. _Matches so well with his shark fin hairdo._ Asami took a moment and smiled at her mental joke, but soon realized Mako thought she had been smiling at him. _Well shit._

He inched closer to her at the bar, obviously trying to be so suave that his movements were unobvious. Asami took a hefty drink from her wine, steeling herself for his next horribly constructed line. "Do you mind if I stare at you closer, opposed to a seat down that way?"

 _As if right on cue, do these guys ever think of anything different to say?_

"Seriously Mako, what ever would make you think a line as shitty as that would work on anybody?!" A familiar voice chimed in from behind her, causing Asami to let out a soft laugh and turn to her friend. Opal returned with far too many shots, squeezing into her unsaid rightful place in-between the two and giving Asami breathing room from Mako. "Cool your jets, Shark Boy, it's not gonna work,"

A louder chuckle flew from Asami's lips, and Mako threw up his hands. "Will you ever let that go? Can't a guy just try?!"

Opal slide a small glass to the both of them, a clear liquid almost spilling over the edges. Definitely vodka, if Asami knew anything at all about her longtime friend. "Not with terrible pick-up lines like that, no. That one should be illegal,"

Mako admitted defeat and slumped, taking his shot quickly and leaving their side of the bar to find another drink. Opal turned to her black haired friend, fingers on her glass and a knowing look in her eyes. "You can thank me later, Sam. Yo, bar guy! Make sure you put her drinks on my tab!"

The grin on Asami's lips required no words to convey the mischief it held and she picked up her glass to clink it against Opal's. "To saving me from that shark attack,"

A playful fire dancing in Opal's eyes as she giggled back at her, throwing back the alcohol together. The liquid was fire down Asami's throat and as soon as the sensation was gone her brain was preparing for more, which she knew would come in droves after that first one. Opals gaze shifted over her shoulder and somehow became even brighter than it was before. "Bolin!"

She dashed off the stool and Asami was left smirking into her wine glass, finishing the red liquid that remained in the bottom. She had never spent any time around Bolin in person, just hearing of him in passing and knowing his voice from the background of phone calls. He seemed like a genuine guy from the way Opal always described him and Bolin made her happy, which is all that mattered to Asami.

The bartender caught her eye and moved to pour more of that red wine into a new glass, sliding over to Asami and punching the entry into Opal's open tab. The first sip was a refreshing taste after that vodka shot, returning her palette to something more familiar. Out of the corner of her eye, Asami noticed a figure seat themselves two seats down, and a newly acquainted scent grace her senses. She shifted through an inventory of thoughts in her mind. Pine. _Where do I remember that from…_

She turned her head a few degrees to the left and looked at the newest person to seat at the bar. A brown beanie over chin-length brunette hair and a deep blue plaid flannel rested on tanned skin that was rolled up to her elbows, revealing very defining muscles that stretched over a forearm, and – _Spirts that sleeve of tattoos.._ Strikingly detailed tribal patterns wove all over this woman's forearm, the pattern looked Polynesian. It snaked its way all around her arm and up under her sleeve, not ending but disappearing into something Asami found herself aching to discover. Her arm moved as she was speaking to the bartender and the rippling of cords under her skin had Asami desiring to touch. There was something so familiar about this woman Asami couldn't figure out, but it wasn't until she turned and met her own confused gaze with incredibly blue and equally puzzled eyes that remembered.

"You!"

The woman's look went from inquisitive to stunned, and her jaw dropped open. "You! Y-you're –, "

"Asami!" Opal beamed and threw an arm around her shoulder, catching the paler woman off guard. Her friend motioned to the woman who still had an incredulous look on her face, eyes dashing from one woman to the other. "Meet Korra! Korra meet Asami!"

Her own surprised expression changed into a grin and then a laugh, causing Opal to shoot a confused look between the two. "Uh…did you two already meet or something?"

Korra looked around, almost as if she was nervous. She opened her mouth to speak but Asami beat her to it. "No, not yet," she said with a cunning smirk and a wink only Korra was able to receive. "It's a pleasure to meet you,"

The tan woman seemed to relax slightly and nod, unable to still form words. Opal squeezed her hug in somewhat tighter. "Bolin went to, uh, find Mako. Finish those shots for us okay?" She winked at Asami as she disappeared into the bodies surrounding the bar. Gross. _Mako is going to end up coming back before they do._

"Uh…so..."

Asami grinned again into her wine glass, drinking deeply and looking back over to awkward expression. "Relax, I figured to spare you that embarrassment,"

Korra laughed, the sound sweetly drifting to Asami's ears. "I owe you a drink for that one," She took a moment and simply met her stare, seeming to think on what to say. "And you know, I owe you a coffee too, since I kind of demolished that other one. I mean, if you're cool with that of course cause I mean we're don't really know each other and that might come off weird and –,"

"Okay," One simple word cut off Korra's little ramble. A pretty adorable ramble, actually. Asami didn't really think into agreeing, truly surprising herself. The black haired businesswoman was the type to calculate every thought and decision. But that one "okay" fell off her tongue without any hesitancy. And she found herself excited for once. "You actually gave me a good reason to throw that thing away, some dude scribbled his unwanted phone number on it,"

A white grin beamed back at her, and Asami looked over at her drink. It was pale yellow color and in a mason jar. She would have pegged Korra for a beer type so curiosity overcame her. "Is that a margarita?"

Korra gazed over to her glass, "Ahh yes, you know of the alcoholic mistress dear Margarita. My one true love. I don't really have to ask what you've got. Fine tastes for a fine lady," Her eyes were full of mischief and Asami felt a slight blush warm her face. The dim lighting was sure to hide it though. Her gaze was held for a moment longer and Korra shifted to look at the line of still full ounce-sized glasses next to Asami. "But the real question is that if Opal was really serious about finishing all of those?"

Between the conversations, Asami hadn't had a chance to actually count how many Opal got. Six. That girl sure knew how to start the night off. Considering there originally were going to be five people, that didn't seem like a large number. But all that remained was just her and Korra. "I have a feeling Opal isn't coming back, so I think these are all me and you,"

That exquisitely detailed tattoo decorated arm reached over to scoot half of those glasses closer as Korra shifted into the stool next to Asami, the forest fragrance increasing. "Race ya," A raised glass seemed to almost toast Asami, and Korra downed the liquid. And the other two in immediate succession, three empty glasses upside-down on the bar.

 _Drink or die, as it seems. Or drink and die, perhaps._ Asami's competitive side boiled up at the notion of a challenge and she should have known that truth would bring her down, but a challenge _was_ a challenge. A brunette eyebrow raised as Asami finished the remainder in the same fashion, Korra clearly surprised and possibly impressed at her actions. Asami was surprised by them as well.

"So. What now?"

A look at the lone margarita with a slight wet ring under the glass against the wood bar, and Asami knew the answer. "Tequila?"

Korra gave a deadly smirk. "Tequila."


	2. Chapter 2

It was like her brain was made of bricks that had been haphazardly built into many walls sitting on tracks, and then blown through by a freight train. And that freight train rolled back and turned those bricks into dust, only for the dust to be rebuilt into bricks and pulverized again over and over. Light had taken a physical form, vibrating at a frequency that turned her mind to jelly. Asami could swear by everything she breathed that she could actually hear her own cells replicating. She slowly became aware that her body was cocooned inside of her duvet and the bed surely had swallowed her up. This had to have been what death truly felt like. Her eyes sluggishly cracked open with the slightest squint, seeing the tiniest sliver of light at the edge of a curtain against a window. But that sliver of light felt like a spotlight shining right into her very soul. At some point Asami was able to move her arms with enough strength to push the covers off her body, and painstakingly sat up.

Even through the intensity of her hangover, by some means she could smell the magnificent scent of coffee in the air. It was like heaven for her senses and Asami crawled from her bed, making what felt like a ten year journey from her bedroom to the door leading to her Holy Grail. She noticed her clothing was still of jeans and that red v-neck shirt and it all started to tug at her uncomfortably. Taking another ten year journey she managed to pull on baggy sweatpants and a tank top instead, not even bothering to summon any strength to take her bra off. Removing the other two pieces had already stunted her energy supply for the whole day. The woman cracked the door open and Asami could see the full, fresh pot of coffee with one squinted eye. It beckoned to her from the other side of the apartment like a longtime lover. Opening the door the rest of the way she started through the hallway towards the nectar of the gods, but her step faltered. _Wait. Why is there even coffee made?_

A few more steps and Asami noticed someone was sitting on her couch, a brown beanie and tanned skin was scribbling something in a book. The familiar woman turned to look over at Asami with those bright blue eyes. That stare was more divine than coffee for her post-apocalyptic hangover. A slim smirk crept to her lips. "Welcome back from the dead,"

 _Holy shit what?_ "Korra stop screaming in my ear," Her throat felt like it had been stripped raw by paint thinner. Asami squeezed her own face together with her pale hands. _Korra? In my apartment? Witnessing my walk of death?_ "What time is it even?"

"Like 5 in the evening,"

 _Fan-fucking-tastic._

Korra laughed at the unpleasant expression that formed on the hungover individual across the room and took a long look at Asami, not seeming to care at all to hide the clear up-down trail of her gaze. "Are those sweatpants Dior too?"

 _Asshole thinks she's funny._ A middle finger flew up in Korra's direction. Asami didn't make eye contact or say a word as she slowly crept into the kitchen. The tiles were freezing against her bare feet. She pulled a bare white mug from a cabinet and filled it with water, downing the cup quickly. The second refill was the warm fresh liquid from the coffee pot. Asami savored the fragrance and warmth in her hands as she made her way to the loveseat across from Korra. The cushions felt as though they would swallow her up just the same as her bed.

A very quiet noise floated in the air as Korra was bouncing her knee faintly, their visions locking. How was she this lively? Asami was absolutely certain she had just as much, if not more to drink last night. The way she woke up this morning, there was no way Korra could have been awake longer than her, coherent enough to even think to make coffee and sit around her apartment with a cheerful look in her face. "How are you no hung over as shit right now?"

She looked around in a slight nervous manner, "I think I might have like four livers or something, I don't ever get hung over regardless of how much I drink,"

 _Is she a robot?_

Korra put her pen down and shifted, rubbing the back of her neck. "So I –,"

A sharp throbbing was attacking her brain. "Korra, I'm sorry, but if you value your life you will not speak any amount of volume until I've finished this drink,"

Clear amusement settled across her striking face and they simply sat in the moment to stare at each other, not requiring any words to be said. The blue flannel Asami remembers from the previous night was draped across the back of the couch Korra was sitting on, leaving a simple white t-shirt on the woman's torso. The bright white against her tan skin seems to deepening the color, enriching and enhancing the already attractive hue of skin. Without that button up, Asami could indeed confirm that her tattoos did extend up past the elbow, but was lost again under the short sleeve. The newfound discovery only caused Asami to wonder more where the rest of the tattoos laid. The woman was simply breathtaking in so many different ways. Asami wasn't even going to bother to convince herself there wasn't an attraction there. But she was also a cautious woman and considering Korra was still much unknown to her, Asami had no intentions. Yet.

Korra tilted her head slightly and moved to pull her book in front of her. She grasped her pen in hand and began scribbling something down on the pages, yet her focus mostly stayed on Asami and she only glanced to her page a few times. Somehow Korra's look seemed both distant and fixated at the same time. This continued for a few long moments until the black haired woman sunk in cushions finally reached the bottom of her mug.

She placed the ceramic ware on a table placed between then, and shifted her legs under her. "So what are you doing?"

"Come over here and look?"

Her question was returned with a warm smile that was quite inviting, she couldn't say no to all the deep blue staring into her. Unfolding her legs, Asami swept across the way to seat herself next to Korra. She was drawn into an atmosphere surrounding the body next to her that was filled with warmth, and a pine scent still lingered. Asami was sure she would never tire of it.

The book in question was filled with moderately weighted unlined paper, and rather being used for writing there were marks and scribblings filling the page. The forms took shape into a face, and it only took a very brief moment for Asami to realize that it was her own face she was looking back into. Lighter pen strokes mixed with darker shaded sections captured her persona remarkably, and somehow Korra had been able to measure her facial features and translate them onto the page with a precise proportion. The amount of accuracy was breathtaking and Asami was lost in the lines of her own eyes, staring back from the page. It read of curiosity and fascination and a bit of play.

"Wow…this is..," Her finger lightly tranced over the lines in the drawing, lines that had been just placed by this woman beside her. "Is this was I look like hung over? God,"

Korra chortled and her movements became animated as she gestured to the image. "Are you serious? Look at you, you're beautiful!"

A flutter formed in her stomach and heat crept to her cheeks. Asami pushed the feeling down, but never letting it disappear. "Seriously though, you hardly even looked at the page. And in pen? How?"

The woman's pen was put in the crease where the pages met in the sketchbook and she moved to place a foot above her knee in a relaxed position. She thought for a moment and shrugged. "It's like a form of blind contour drawing I sort of adapted, where I'm able to use both my center field of vision and peripheral at the same time. It's kind of hard to explain I guess but it's a nice exercise,"

Who even was this woman? Asami couldn't even fathom how she came about this. But she was certainly impressed. And she is hardly ever impressed. Her fingertips ran over the drawing again and Asami was faintly aware Korra's eyes were intensely tracking her hands over the page. "So is this what you do?"

She shrugged again. "Not really. It's just an area I studied while in school. I felt like it was necessary to 'master the elements' per se. But it's not what I'm passionate about,"

"And what are you passionate about?" Asami's curiosity was spoken a little more libertine than she was expecting, yet oddly comfortable.

The sketchbook gently closed and Korra waved a hand about in the air, "Jeez Asami, I can't give away all of my secrets," She raised an eyebrow. "So now that you've seen something of what I do, what do you do?"

At this proximity Asami could see there were light flecks spread through Korra's deep eyes, and she was sure any closer and she'd be able to pick out constellations in her irises. "Well I work at Future Industries, if that counts,"

"Ah isn't that some technology corporation? Or something close to that?" Asami was surprised Korra barely knew anything considering how huge the company was. Korra looked over to the empty mug and back to Asami. "Do you want a refill?"

Asami nodded, watching Korra moved up and into the kitchen with a unique grace. She wore slims jeans of a medium shade of brown and black high top Converse. The way she walked was completely natural but Asami found it enthralling, not bothering to care if Korra would have turned back around to catch her glances.

After a few moments Korra returned with two cups instead of just one. Somehow she had noticed to not put anything in Asami's drink at all. "So what do you do there?"

Asami waved a hand around, obviously mocking Korra's response. "Jeez Korra, I can't give away all of my secrets,"

Korra's eyebrows shot up and she gave a sincere laugh. Asami was sure she would never tire of that sound either. "Wow you have a sense of humor too," She sat back in her previous place next to Asami, mug in one and her free arm was draped across the back of the couch behind her.

The motion could have been considered uncomfortably bold by some, yet Asami found it soothing and warm. "So what exactly happened last night? There's quite a bit I can't seem to place," The mug came up to her lips as she waited for an answer to the question she's been thinking of since awakening.

Korra slowly leaned closer until there faced were mere inches apart, and a sly smirk was upon her lips. "We made passionate love all night,"

 _What the fuck!_

Asami practically inhaled her drink, choking on the dark liquid and felt the burning sensation in her throat and sinuses. Her eyes watered and she saw Korra doubled over in laughter at her reaction, barely managing to set her own cup down to prevent it spilling over. Korra wiped a tear from her eye as she recovered from her amusement. "I'm so sorry but the opportunity was there and I couldn't let it pass!"

"Fuck I almost had a heart attack!" She punched Korra in the arm, finding the form her hand connected with was quite solid. Her fingers twitched at the thought of touching that arm again in a more explorative sense.

Korra let out a laugh again, grinning into her mug she recovered from table. "I'm pretty sure that would technically be non-consensual anyways. Fuck that, I'm not a dick," She paused for a moment and seemed to search through her memories before continuing. "Okay here's the truth. We got really trashed really fast. For some reason you thought it was some kind of competition on who could drink the most," Asami cringed at that thought, seeing Korra's clear amusement at the whole ordeal. "Granted I was impressed for awhile, buuuut you didn't last as long as you think you could,"

"Nobody ever came back except for Mako, which I'm not surprised at considering how Opal and Bolin's faces were basically morphing into one being on the other side of the bar. Mako was so far gone all he could do was sing sad love karaoke songs and cry. Or I'm pretty sure he was crying. I couldn't tell very well because I was mostly watching you rake in the free drinks from random people while they spewed pleasantries like 'Miss Sato' this and 'Miss Sato' that. Jeez like how do you know so many people?" _Was she actually being serious?_

"Anyways, we mostly talked and drank and you laughed at my stupid ass jokes you probably don't remember at this point. Eventually the bar closed down for the night,"

Between the warmth of her coffee and Korra, Asami was in a very relaxing state after nearly dying from asphyxiation by caffeine. "So how did we end up back here then?"

Korra studied her for an instant. "Well. I had to practically fight you for your ID so I could figure out what address the cab guy had to drive to. You were almost passed out on me in the cab so I had to carry you up here, somehow dig out your keys from your jacket and try every single one because you swore they all were the same key. And the whole time you insisted we had to watch shark documentaries to we could 'educate Mako about his relatives',"

Asami placed a hand over her face and groaned. "Wow that's pretty embarrassing I'm sorry,"

Korra smirked at her comment, "Not really, you weren't bad at all. You were actually quite adorable," That light fluttering feeling came back to Asami at her words. "So we're on the couch and you started up Sharknado you found on Netflix or something, thinking it was a real documentary. But you barely lasted five minutes before you went into a sleep coma and there was no waking you. So I put you in your bed and sat there for a few hours to make sure you wouldn't throw up or die or something. And came out here to finish that movie," '

 _Now that's what was actually adorable._

"How was it?"

Korra looked up and thought for a moment. "Absolutely terrible,"

With an elbow positioned on the back of the couch, Asami rested her head on her fist and turned her body to face Korra. They both seemed to just sit and observe the other's expressions. Korra appeared calm and more or less curious. She showed no signs of seeming rushed or uneasy. Content is what Asami thought of when trying to place an emotion on her visitor. "Well I should thank you for staying. To make sure I didn't die or something," she smiled, partially quoting Korra's words.

Asami wasn't sure if it was a slight blush she had caught on the woman's face or not. "Ah you don't need to thank me, it's no big deal. But as much as I would like to keep talking to you, I probably should go. There's lots of work I still have left to do,"

Grabbing her empty mug, Asami watched Korra move across the room and heard her place the cup on the counter. A jingle of keys and Korra had returned to take her book and shirt. Asami felt a twinge of disappointment to see her go. "Don't think this counts as that coffee you owe me,"

Korra smiled brightly, "Glad to know you're not trying to get out of that one," Her face seemed to be pondering thoughts for a moment and she disappeared back into the bedroom, coming back out with Asami's phone in hand. A few audible clicks later she placed it from her hand into Asami's, fingers slightly touching at the motion. "I uh, put my number in there. In case you don't feel well or need saving again, I mean from dying and whatnot, and, ya know cause I suffered through Sharknado by myself and-,"

 _She really was fucking cute._ "Korra you're rambling again,"

Korra let out a breath and smiled, her blush quite apparent this time. "Okay you get my point. And you should think about coming by my studio sometime in case you want to find out what I really do,"

With a last smile on her lips and a wink, Korra was out the door and gone. Leaving Asami's normally empty apartment filled with a strange and unfamiliar sense of loneliness. It was loneliness Asami hadn't seem to have felt in a long time. She took a last look at her phone, the new number still visible on the screen, and wondered less of what had just happened and more on where everything was going from here. But wherever it was, Asami knew she wanted to be there. As long as Korra was there too.


	3. Chapter 3

Crisp notes of jazz floated through the air. They filled the room one moment and dropped to a near silence others. It was calming and serene where it needed to be, and upbeat at the times that felt necessary. Korra liked to consider herself an appreciator of all genres, but Frank Sinatra would always be her favorite. He was the ambient voice she needed in the shop currently, he always had a way of capturing her thoughts in a way where she no longer thought anything. And she had been thinking a lot recently.

Korra was seated at a large woodworking bench in the middle of the spacious studio. She liked her workspace being centered, all of the tools she needed were around the room and the worktable had quite enough room to move all around. It was like a gym for the woodworking nerd, her sacred space. The room had a section that broke off from the main area that she turned into somewhat of a mini-apartment that eventually led to the stairs up to her real living space. It currently consisted of a fridge full of beer, a couch and matching single seat that currently housed her dog Naga, and a coffee table. That table was the first thing piece she ever built in a serious sense. When Korra looked at it now she'd always laugh about how much of a piece of shit it actually was. But it was her first piece of shit and she wouldn't ever let it go.

Her hands were lightly coated with fine particles of wood dust, fine enough to feel like fluff. Fine enough to stick to everything in a way that was difficult to get rid of. The 400-grit sheet of sandpaper in her hand was soft to the touch. Any finer and it would have seemed like plastic, but Korra's touch was well-tuned to the exact grit. She could tell what kind of paper it was without looking just by the way it felt. By her estimate the piece she had been laboring over was about ready to move up to the next finer-sized sheet. Sanding was tedious, but Korra found something relaxing about the process and how it required very little amount of thinking to accomplish.

"Korra, got an ETA on that chair?" A voice chimed from the office across the room.

With an internal grumble, Korra pretended to not even hear Bolin and returned back to her work. That fine dust was coming off a piece of curly walnut. Korra was anxious to throw some finish on and watch the deeper rich browns come out and offset the lighter ripples of the grain. It was always her favorite part, watching the piece she had labored over for months breathe itself to life as that first layer of oil was wiped on. It was also usually the last time she saw it, the pieces then went to their commissioners and left Korra's life. It was bittersweet, really.

"You know that thing is supposed to be done in like a week right. I can't call you the most skilled one-of-a-kind furniture designer in the city if you can't finish on time,"

Korra let her thoughts and senses fade away and only left herself with the work in front of her. It was a mid-century modern lounge chair with a Chippendale flair, that slight cabriole leg design she had taken weeks to refine. To make it her own. There was something about wood that was all-encompassing. It had so many elements placed into a beautiful substance that could be shaped to so many other forms, Korra couldn't help but be so enamored by all the possibly in one material. Wood was as fluid like water, bending and shaping into so many forms and structures, yet strong as earth. But it all of its strength it was also delicate like air where it needed to be. Even considering all of these qualities, wood was also very unforgiving if not treated properly. It was a fire that bit Korra in the ass more than once and took years to tame.

The faint sound of footsteps pulled her thoughts back, and Korra saw Bolin with a packet in his hand. "Hey you know I always tell you to wear a mask when you do that shit. It's a carcinogen, ya know!"

Korra exhaled and attempted to wipe the dust from her clothing. Rather than getting rid of it, the motion simply spread it around the fabric more. "Yeah yeah you say that every time,"

Bolin raised an eyebrow, "Yeah well your shop dog doesn't know that,"

Looking over her shoulder, Korra saw a giant white ball of fluff passed out on the couch placed in the smaller room. "Dude Naga is way over there and totally in the clear!"

He smiled and handed her the packet, "I know, I'm just giving you a hard time. Here's the order confirmation I just got forwarded for that new project we got,"

She rested her chin against her hand propped on the table, and flipped through papers. Korra about fell off her chair after looking through the total dollar spent listed at the bottom. "Jesus Christ do they know how much they just spent on this shit? I was surprised they approved those designs I sent so quickly. They must be eager. Who the fuck has the money for this much ebony?" Korra felt a little guilty actually. Ebony was so expensive because it was so rare. She knew she was skilled in her craft, but using this type put on so much pressure not to fuck up. "Did you ask them to consider ebonizing something cheaper instead?"

He pulled a stool over to Korra's bench and took a seat after wiping away a thin layer of dust. "I did but they wanted the real deal. Deep pockets, I guess,"

She snorted. "This is way more than I said I needed, who contracted this shit again?"

"Future Industries,"

She blinked at a speck of dust that had floated in her eye. "Are they modern day Medici's or something?"

Bolin sighed and rolled his eyes. "For someone who's lived here for the last four years, you really should get out more Korra,"

She slapped him lightly with the sandpaper in her hand, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

"And then the dust got me! I got bronchitis!" He laughed and got up to move back into the little room he originally emerged from, mumbling delivery dates to himself.

Closing the packet and setting it down for later, Korra moved away from her work to sit next to Naga and pulled that signature brown beanie over her head. She decided a break was much needed and it seemed Naga agreed. A wet tongue greeted her face in a sloppy dog kiss and Korra smiled as the canine's huge head rested on her lap. It was nice to just sit for a moment with no expectations resting on her shoulders for five minutes. A sudden buzzing from her pocket caused Naga's head to jolt up and eye Korra suspiciously while the woodworker dug the phone from her pocket. A message flashed up on the screen, and only reassuring pets and soft words of sorry caused the dog to forgive.

" _Is your studio called The Benchdog?"_

The number that accompanied the message was not one Korra had previously saved. Usually she didn't bother answering calls of messages from unknown numbers, Bolin took those calls as part of his "shop manager" job description. He always complained lightheartedly about it. She tossed the phone on the cushion next to her and returned to patting Naga's face, closing her eyes to soak up a moment of rest. A few seconds later the buzzing returned to break her repose, reminding Korra she still had an unopened text. Picking the little device back up again, she lazily thumbed a response. Bolin was too busy to make respond to her messages, he needed a break from some things too. _I'm not doing anything anyways I guess._

" _Uh who is this?"_ Korra hoped this wasn't more work. She already had too much as it was. The phone got tossed back within reach on the cushion. Almost instantly the ringer chimed back, Korra slightly leaned over to read the response.

" _Wow forgot about me already? This is the girl who you spilled her own coffee all over,"_

A silent gasp and an immediate jump, the phone was back in her hands. Korra didn't think she ever snatched anything that quickly in her life. All of the movement caused Naga to rumble out a growling complaint and swat Korra's face with her giant paws. A flurry of white and tan blurred through the air as Korra fought off her fluffy companion, and Naga eventually rolled off the couch in disinterest. Korra watched canine saunter off across the room and looked back to her phone. Asami actually messaged her? Korra figured it would have been a few days, if at all. But definitely not a few hours after Korra dropped her number in that phone. God she felt so stupid doing that, Asami didn't even ask for it.

" _There's no way I could forget about you,"_ Korra's thumb hit a button and sent the text. _Wait I just sent that?! What the fuck Korra do you not read what you type!_ She hurried to type out another message, not giving Asami any time to even start a response to that. " _Yeah it is, why?"_

The next message she receive was a photo of a dog with its tongue squished to the window of a door, little beady eyes staring and hot breath on the glass. A white fuzzy – _Wait that's Naga!_ Korra's arm jerked and the phone sailed across the shop as she stood up, landing somewhere the woman didn't bother to notice. Korra leaned slowly to peek out to the doorway that led outside to see Naga sitting down in front of the door, tail wagging, and her tongue was definitely flatted out on the glass. On the other side of the pane, Asami was crouched to eye level with the dog, eyes squinted with a smile that moved to form words Korra couldn't hear.

 _Wow, she's…_

Her legs gradually moved to make her way to the door, Korra's eyes never leaving the sight of Naga licking the window with small whines and Asami's face light up in laughter. Long dark hair framed pastel skin, the night wrapping around the rest of her that wasn't lit by the light from the building. Those deep maroon lips held Korra's gaze as she watched them change to more words and smiles and a few laughs. But it was the green piercing eyes that captured her attention the most. They spoke of amusement and enamor. Korra hasn't seen someone so beautiful since…well, never.

Asami stood when she noticed Korra upon the door, their sights locking and Korra felt like time moved slower. The first time Korra had really taken a look at the raven haired woman was at the bar, and that was the moment Korra felt the attraction bubbling up. But the more she saw Asami the louder it grew and Korra hadn't really even gotten to know her yet. Was she too forward? Or not enough? Christ, was she even interested in women? _Can it Korra, act like a normal person._ As much as she tried to seem confident and calm, Korra got so nervous around Asami. It was like she was walking on a layer of ice as thin as paper, having no idea where she was moving to but hoping that the ice didn't break under her and swallow her up.

The door unlocked as she turned the deadbolt out from the latch, commanding Naga to move away and lay down. Naga seemed very defiant but laid down a few feet from where she was originally sitting, eyes and ears perked with clear attention. The door swung open and Korra was face to face with her unexpected visitor, yet she definitely didn't mind.

"Hi,"

"Hi," Korra couldn't even think of something to say so she just repeated Asami's greeting. She mentally punch herself in the face, and cleared her throat. "Uhm. So we're by appointment only. And stuff like that. You know where you make an appointment," Shit, she can't stop rambling around her.

Asami tilted her head slightly to the side, clearly amused but didn't seem to stop Korra's spiel. Her long hair followed the tilt as gravity took hold. "So no exceptions for walk ins, huh?"

Her eyes travelled around, pretending to seem in thought. "I think I can make a special exception. Only for you," Korra gave a wink and turned around before she could see Asami's reaction. She really didn't want to know.

Naga was still laying on the floor but was somehow crawling around, letting out whimpers as she approached Asami. Korra could hear a chuckle and looked back, Asami back to being crouched at Naga's level. "What is your dog doing?"

Her laugh couldn't be held in as Korra saw a pink tongue licking the air inches from Asami's face. "I don't know but she's being unusually nice to you. Naga usually just soaks people in slobbery dog kisses. What were you even saying to her through the door?"

Asami softly stroked Naga's face, the delicate movement of her hands were calming. "I told her all of my secrets, of course," She stood to look around and arched an eyebrow at Korra. "So this is what you do, then? You make furniture?"

Korra led her to the large bench, Asami sitting on the stool that just had seated Bolin. Korra sat on the other side of the counter and eyed Asami suspiciously. "Have you been researching me or something?"

One leg had been crossed over the other, and her elbow propped against the bench. Asami seemed to bring a hit of elegance wherever she went. "Yes, actually. When I read 'custom furniture design and manufacturing' on your window a minute ago,"

"God I knew you were a stalker,"

A beautiful laugh rang through the air and Korra was sure her heart stopped for a second. The effect this woman had on her was something Korra wasn't used to. Something she wasn't sure where was going. Asami took her time looking around the room. "This is actually on my way to work and I caught a bit of curiosity today, I really didn't know it was yours. I'm actually quite impressed, you've got quality machines in here,"

"Wait you know what these things are?"

"Yeah I could probably name everything in here. Except for some of the smaller specific tools,"

Korra knew she probably looked like an idiot with her mouth hanging open, staring. Asami definitely didn't seem like the type to have a lick of sense about anything in this room. But looks were definitely beginning to become deceiving. What other surprises did Asami have in store? "I think I'll challenge you to that sometime. How are you feeling?"

Her fingers drummed the table a few times. "Much better, after way too much coffee,"

Korra tipped her stool back on two legs, balancing herself while still holding onto the bench. She knew it was a nervous habit of hers. She heard light scuffling of footsteps and looked to see Bolin come back out from his work lair with another packet in front of his face.

"Hey Korra I got an email back with the order on that new joiner. They said it should be deliver in about two days," he looked up and his attention went to Asami, who was grinning at him as Bolin's eyes got wide. "Korra I thought you said you never let clients in here!"

"Uh she's not a client, Bo. That's Asami,"

He pointed to the first stack of papers that was still settled on the bench between them. "I know who she is, don't you remember that project we were just talking about?! That Future Industries one?"

"Oh, you said you worked there right?" Korra thought she saw a slight wink from the other woman directed at Bolin, but it also could have been dust. Or a twitch. Or Korra imaging things. Bolin seemed to stay silent with an apprehensive expression.

Asami gave a soft smile, "Yes, I do remember mentioning that. I'm actually headed there now, I didn't realize this place was so close from where I live until now,"

A light snort came from Korra. "You do know it's like 11 pm, and you're already working?"

"Korra you realize you're in here working too,"

Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. "Touché,"

Another laugh escaped Asami's lips and Korra couldn't help but stare at the way it reached her eyes. "I was planning on stopping for coffee first. Thank god for late café hours,"

"You work too much, you need a raise or something,"

A small smile crept across her maroon lips, "I'm kind of at the top of my bracket already, and I can't get promoted anymore,"

Her attention returned to the papers Bolin mention, "Pfft that's stupid. They could afford it, do you know how much money your boss spends? Look at this shit,"

Asami thumbed through the packet, studying the numbers unusually thoroughly. The sound of paper moving accompanied the very slight furrow of her eyebrows. "These numbers look right to me, I mean I was the one who placed this order in. But I didn't realize it was through your studio,"

The stool was still balanced but Korra didn't noticed she had started rocking on the legs a little. "Well they seem pretentious to me,"

A soft hum drifted from Asami's throat as she pondered a response, "Hmm. The boss, you could say she has fine tastes,"

"That's one way to put it," Curiosity captured Korra's attention. "So you know her pretty well or something?"

Asami's head tilted the same way it had did before at the door, her dark hair falling the same, her eyebrow raising the same. "I would say I know her quite well. I happen to be her,"

It only took a second for Korra's mind to connect the dots and realize what Asami was indicating. The realization caused her body to jerk in the middle of her rocking motion and the legs of the stool kicked out from under her, throwing her body back in a yelp. Korra heard Bolin roar with laughter, slowly lifting her one eye slightly above the table to peer at Bolin doubled over in laughter and an expression of concern over Asami's face. Korra's beanie had twisted to settle lopsided against her face and she was sure there was sawdust all over her now. "Are you fucking with me right now?" _I just called her pretentious!_

Asami was clearly entertained by her reaction, and reached across to straighter Korra's hat. If half of her face wasn't hidden below the table, Korra was sure she would have seen deep red form across her cheeks. "Definitely not. I actually own the company,"

 _Nice going, Korra, you stupid prick._ She pulled herself back up with the overturned stool, not even bothering to brush herself off. "Sorry I called you pretentious, that was uncalled for,"

"Don't apologize," Korra was a little surprised. Normally people got bent out of shape over that kind of thing. Right? Or maybe she imagined that too. Asami didn't seem at all bothered. "It's actually nice to hear genuine honestly, I find it's hard to come by,"

The revelation pushed a twinge of sadness through Korra. Asami may have been wealthy. Well, probably more like filthy fucking rich but she was still a person. Korra wasn't completely surprised at the thought that others would try and take advantage of her. "Okay well in that case you smell and you have bad taste in clothing. Oh and you could use a lot more beauty sleep. Like a whole lot,"

A hand shot out quickly to pull Korra's hat back down over her face and push against her head, nearly toppling the woodworker back on the floor. A snicker came from the other woman's direction and Korra lifted the material around her eyes to see the most playful smile. "Asshole,"

A cough was heard and Korra looked over to see the sound come from Bolin. He was still here? He had a seemingly embarrassed look on his face. "So I'm gonna go back in my office. You know. Alone. By myself. Leaving you guys out here and whatnot. Also alone,"

"Don't mind me, Bolin. I actually need to get going," Asami turned to Korra, a slim appearance of anxiousness seemed to hover along the edges of her features. "Unless you want to go with me?"

Korra blinked. _Was she really…ah fuck it_. "I do owe you a coffee last I remember,"

"Korra what about that chair!"

A hand waved in the air in response as Korra moved from where she was sitting to retrieve her phone. Which had landed in a crevice under the table saw. Great. "Bolin it'll be fine. I need to take Naga out first before I go," Korra had to practically crawl under the machine to recover her phone, spying it practically against the wall. _Nice job, Korra, you buried it under tons of dust and – ooh a pencil._ Her fingers barely were able to dig the phone out, and Korra stood up to notice she was practically swimming in sawdust. "And I need to change…I'll be ten minutes?"

Asami seemed to not mind, and Korra felt her gaze settle on the woodworker as she nodded. Korra smiled and headed for the back door with Naga in tow. Her hand dug a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and Korra felt Asami's stare burning through her back, she wouldn't dare turn back around to see the expression that matched. If it was anything she was imagining, Korra mostly feared the response she would give the pale woman in return.

The door opened to brisk air. With a warm flame in her face and menthol laced smoke in her lungs, Korra had a feeling the night would be interesting, to say the least.

The night was neither cold nor hot, existing as the perfect temperature to feel comfortable in simple clothing. At least for Korra. The season was just starting to come off winter and morph to a warmer spring air, but some of the crispness of the cold lingered. Her jeans seemed to be able to repel dust in a reasonable amount, but her shirt had been changed over to a short sleeved blue v-neck. Korra always felt like crew necks were so constricting. Even though Korra felt insanely comfortable in the weather, the woman next to her didn't seem to share the same sentiment. Asami had her hands stuffed in her pockets and a bright red scarf around her neck. She wasn't as dressed up as the first time Korra saw her, but the woman still looked stunning.

The ambient noise was relatively quiet as they walked, and Korra noticed the jingling of her keys through a belt loop was missing. She had tossed the pair to Bolin and told him to lock up whenever he decided to leave, and the door had shut before Korra had time to listen to whatever words were going to fall from his mouth as he opened it in a response. The rattling of keys was not a sound she noticed until it was gone.

Asami gave a sideways glance over and Korra stiffened slightly. Did she noticed she was being stared at, somewhat nonchalantly? "Korra it's like 40 degrees. How are you not even slightly cold?"

A tan hand swept to meet the back of her tan neck, Korra absentmindedly giving in to another one of her well known nervous habits. "I grew up in the South. Nothing like temperature in the negatives,"

She was met with a smile. Their walk to the café down the street wouldn't be more than maybe five minutes and their pace was at a leisurely speed. Korra knew it well, she had taken this path too many times for too many shots of expresso. Asami knew the same route well, considering she walked the same way every day. Korra met another glance in her direction. "Okay so I don't really know too much about you, care to give me a run down?"

The idea that Asami wanted to take the time to get to know Korra made her nervous. Which was an entirely stupid feeling. _God what am I, twelve?_ "Hmm should I be blunt?"

It took all but two steps forward more for Korra to realize a slender hand had snaked around her forearm and pulled her to a gentle stop. A first glance down saw her light fingers across Korra's own darkened skin. The contrast was lost when the touch softly pulled away, and instantly that touch felt more missing than the sound of keys. The second glance up revealed a tenseness in Asami's sharp facial features. She hesitated before managing out a word. "Korra…"

The way Korra heard her name float to her ears put an ache in her chest. It was an ache caused by the sound of worry and uncertainty. Asami had seemed so confident by all accounts so far in their encounters, but the way she spoke now said more about hidden emotions than Korra was willing to ask about.

A breath was heard before Asami continued and her eyes bore into Korra's. "I've never met anyone who didn't know my history before they met me. And all that history has caused are conversations that are never truly honest, save for Opal," Her hands were clasping together in a tense manner, fingers fidgeting obviously uncomfortably. "I know I haven't known you long at all, but I want you to be blunt and honest with me about everything,"

It didn't take long for Korra to process the plea, she did the first honest action that came into her thoughts. A step closer to Asami and the pale hands were in her own, followed by a soft reassuring squeeze and light traces with her thumbs. Korra gave the most sincere look into the green eyes staring back at her, and she found that it was the easiest and most simple effort to give it. "I don't really give a shit if you lived in a mansion, or if you lived in a cardboard box. You're still a person and you don't have to ask me to be honest with you ever because I always will,"

Korra felt the soft hands give an equal amount of pressure back and a wordless nod accompanied the emerald eyes of the other woman. Korra allowed herself to hold those hands a moment longer, permitting a moment of selfishness before pulling away. Asami's fingers let go at the pull, but left a light trace of touch against Korra's palms that felt electric. As much as she should have pushed down that feeling, Korra didn't want to release the ghost of electricity against her hands.

She turned back and they began again their journey to the café. Korra paused her thoughts for a moment, considering what to say before deciding being direct should be the only option. _Should I tell her I'm interested in women? No that's a bad idea. No fuck it whatever, Korra stop being a little bitch._ _"_ Okay, the blunt basics I guess? I like to drink. I like to build things. I would whoop your ass in Mortal Kombat. I've lived here the past four years. I work out a lot and I definitely like girls,"

If Asami was surprised by anything she said, she definitely didn't show it. "Mortal Kombat, huh? Who do you usually pick?"

 _She's seriously asking me about Mortal Kombat?_ "Sub Zero. Every time,"

"Of course you'd pick him. But he's slow as shit,"

Their walk ended at the entrance to the café and Korra pulled the door open in a subtle motion to allow Asami to enter first. Korra scoffed through a wide grin, "He's definitely not! You play Mortal Kombat? Who do you pick then?"

Maroon lips formed into a smirk, "You'll have to wait and find out, I guess," Her words were following by an obvious wink before she turned inside, leaving Korra's eyes wide and mouth open.

Their visit inside was quite short, considering they were the only customers this late at night. Korra paid for their drinks, compensating for the mistake that caused their first encounter. The conversation was silent between the two during the transaction, but it was a comfortable silence that Korra enjoyed. Korra caught a few of Asami's glances during that time and met them with slightly bashful expressions, but she was only returned with small warm smiles. They returning to the front of the building, and Korra stopped a moment to enjoy the warmth of a drink in her hand and the cold air around her body.

"So I told you some stuff about me, let's hear some about you,"

One hand around a drink and the other stuffed in a pocket, Asami only took a brief moment to respond, "Well I actually enjoy working. I like games of billiards, and I prefer summer over winter if you haven't noticed. I can definitely kick your ass in Mortal Kombat, and I build things too,"

Korra smiled, the pieces of information that were placed into her hands felt like a step towards something that she found she didn't quite understand yet. But Korra definitely wanted more. She wanted more bits of things that helped her piece together the kind of person that was Asami Sato, and she wanted to share the same back. As much as she desired it at the moment, Korra didn't want to take any more of Asami's time than she thought she needed. "Okay I'll take you up on that Mortal Kombat challenge. But I won't keep you from your work any longer,"

She turned with a small wave with a small feeling of sadness when Korra saw green eyes glint in the darkness at her that seemed to share the feeling. Cold air pulled around her face on the turn back towards the studio away from the place she really wanted to be.

"Korra?"

A spin on her heel and Korra was back to facing Asami, green still visible in a small distance. "Yeah?" Her reply was on feet that stepped backwards, moving without turning away from the direction of the other woman's words.

"I definitely like girls too,"

Korra's grin didn't leave her face after Asami turned back around to head in the opposite direction. It didn't leave after she saw the small smile on the dark haired woman's face either. It didn't leave during the short walk back that seemed to last forever in her mind.

Korra was still grinning to herself as she came upon the door to her studio, holding on to the small feeling of contentment filling her chest. But it was only until Korra reached to her pocket for her spare key that the grin left her face completely, and the slight flashback of leaving the key on her workbench came back to haunt her.

Her hand held up empty in front of her face, void of a key but still laced with that small electric touch of earlier.

 _Shit._


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile.  
Not the longest but here's fucking fluff for a story I posted like 6 months ago that you'll probably have to re-read because I suck at posting.

* * *

 _"Sweetie, my perfect angel Asami. You need to go the fuck home."_

With a slow sigh and a shuffle of paper, Asami pushed the black oval shaped glasses up from the slight slip down her nose. A small green light slowly pulsed on the telephone while a voice floated, no, more like lectured, through the air. Opal had been at it for twenty minutes attempting to get Asami to leave her office and finish out the night.

 _"Asami it's 3:12 am. Work can wait, I swear I have this same conversation with you every night!"_

Another sigh slipped out, "Yes but you know every night I have the same amount of work and yet you still try to get me home." Opal always had good intentions but she was utterly relentless. Relentless in the way that Asami wished majority of her staff at Future Industries possessed, even a faction of at best. A ferocity like hers was so rare these days but Asami was glad to have it in her friend, someone who was not afraid of saying what she felt nor afraid of how others viewed her.

 _"Don't make me come in there and get you!"_

Those same words were right on cue, and Asami couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Opal you say that every time. As you previously said, it _is_ three in the morning."

A loud crash followed by a rustle of a breeze caused Asami to look up from her laptop screen to see her office doors burst open to the sight of Opal, phone still in hand and to her ear. Even though Opal wasn't employed in her company, Asami gave her a key card just so she could come through whatever she wanted. Which seemed to be right now. Her bright green eyes narrow to stare daggers at Asami while retaining a small glint that was barely noticeable. "Go. Home."

Asami chuckled and flipped back through a paper packet she had been working on before, "Hello to you too, Opal." She glanced from the paper back to the computer screen in order to check the numbers again on a discrepancy in a project's funding but was interrupted when a small hand shut the laptop, leaving Asami's eyes nowhere else to really look except for the green ones across from her. "Okay, you win."

Opal laughed and sat herself in the lounge chair across from Asami, sinking into the leather upholstery. "That's not a phrase you say often, so in honor of tonight I would like to accept this award as official winner. Thank you, oh so kind."

Asami gave a snort in return and started to gather up the remainder of her work from her current temporary desk, which was essentially a blob of pressboard shit from IKEA someone pulled from a storage room. Asami was sure whoever ended up putting this together in her office completely disregarded the assembly instructions. A squint back to Opal and Asami could tell curiosity was bubbling in her friend. "Asami why do you spend hundreds of dollars of shoes and then come work on this piece of shit desk? What happened to your other one?"

Great. She was hoping to put this behind her. "Would you like the long version or short?"

"Short?"

"I basically suplexed a guy into it."

"No fucking way," Opal's eyes grew and she had the biggest grin on her face "Sam let me see the video!"

Asami exhaled. _I should have never told her I installed those cameras in here._ "Alright fine, I'll show you." The laptop screen was pulled back up, and with a few clicks and keystrokes Asami pulled the footage back up on the screen. The time and date stamp wasn't something she could easily forget, considering Asami might need to use the footage as a foothold for innocence. She spun the computer around towards Opal and hit enter on the playback. "A potential investor thought trying to cop a feel in my office was going to get him a better percentage on his profit margin."

It took a moment for the video to play, but Opal's face immediately lit up into an even bigger grin at the sight. "Daaaaaamn you weren't joking about that suplex, what's your underground wrestler name?"

The screen snapped shut with a green-eyed glare under black furrowed eyebrows. Removing herself from her seat, Asami grabbed her signature black jacket and headed out the door with Opal in tow. "No repeating this story. Especially to Bolin, you know he'll tell as many people as possible."

"Girl, you should already know he's the first one I'm telling. Think of all of the pro-wrestling contracts you'll be getting from this!" She laughed and a shuffle in a side-step presented a sense of excitability in her demeanor. "I should have known whenever you go to judo training you were _actually_ disappearing to be part of a wrestling ring."

A few steps down the hall and the pair had reached the elevator. The doors opened a moment later with an audible chime, followed by Asami punching in the first floor button. Opal moved to lean against the elevator wall and give Asami a curious stare down. "Speaking of disappearing, where did you go last night? Bolin and I went to find you and all we found was a sad Mako. And I didn't even get a text until like four in the morning, which was just an 'I'm safe don't worry about me'."

 _Oh shit._ Did she send that? Now that she thought about it, Korra probably had sent it. Truth be told Asami didn't actually get as much work done as she could have, that blue-eyed gorgeous tattooed woman kept creeping back into her thoughts. Not that she minded, the more she interacted with Korra the more Asami felt that attraction turning into a slow boil with the burner constantly being increased. Which was the strangest part, Asami had only met her yesterday. When Asami made that request for honesty on their walk to the café, not once in her life did the businesswoman get such a genuine reaction than that of Korra's. It was open, gentle, honest. With her, Asami felt unusually secure. It was a new security that Asami wanted the opportunity to explore more.

 _How am I supposed to explain this…_

Asami opened her mouth in a very poorly thought out response, but was saved by small ringing came from Opal's pocket as some random K-Pop song played from her phone Asami wouldn't ever be able to name. "Is that Bolin?"

"Probably. He was asleep when I got home, so I haven't had a chance to really talk today." Opal pulled the phone from her pocket and looked back up at Asami. "Do you care to be on speaker? I know he likes to talk to you sometimes."

The CEO nodded, and Opal answered the call. Asami thought it was sweet Bolin was interested in his girlfriend's friends. It seemed to be a hard quality to find in a significant other these days. People seemed to think the other person's time should revolve around them, never seeming to be understanding of boundaries. Well, at least in Asami's experience. And with her type of work schedule, it never worked out with a person who wanted to be the center of her attention constantly. That idea was basically impossible to give into, and Asami was too independent to allow it.

" _Opal! It's past three in the morning and I woke up to get a midnight snack and all, ya know. I was pretty hungry. And Pabu was curled up in the cutest little ball and you know I have a hard time moving to disturb him when he's like that, so it took me like five minutes just to get off the bed. Well that's not the point where are you!"_

There was a slight change of pressure as the elevator moved down. "I went to the office to get Asami to stop working, you know how she gets. We're leaving right now."

 _"Oh Asami! Am I on speaker? Asami! Hi! It was nice to see you at The Benchdog tonight. Weird, I mean like unusual not like creepy weird or anything. But nice! Sorry I would have talked to you more but you seemed, uh, preoccupied."_

With a slow turn of her head, Opal locked eyes with Asami, a slightly confused look on her face. Her mouth formed in a silent 'what' directed at her dark haired friend in a direct question.

It would have been impossible for Asami to hide the widening of her eyes or the slight jolt in her expression. _Oh hell Bolin shut up!_

 _"Yeah we don't ever have visitors just drop by, let alone clients. I mean Korra is pretty strict when it comes to that rule, she goes on about how commissions end up lasting longer because a buyer thinks they know what they want and then they see it in progress and they're like 'oh no change this' and-"_

"Waaaaaait Bolin back up. Asami was there?" Opal interrupted his monologue with basically an interrogation.

 _No here it comes_. Asami was helpless under the scrutiny of Opal's staredown. Opal knew it. Opal could smell fear.

" _Well I mean she was. But she left a little before I did with Korra. I think they got coffee? At least I thought. What why?"_

A small smirk on Opal's face grew into the biggest shit eating grin Asami had ever seen in her life. "Bolin I gotta go I'll see you at home bye!" Opal hung that phone call up so fast, the businesswoman had no time to calculate any type of response. "Soooooo that's where you disappeared to, Sam? Hmm?"

Asami's eyes closed and opened slowly again in unison with a long sigh. Her hand reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, pushing her glasses off slightly.

"Ooh that eyebrow furrow and your nose thing is a dead give-away!" Opal's grin changed to an audible gasp. "Asami you went home with her didn't you! Spill!"

The elevator finally reached the bottom floor after what felt like the longest descent of her life. Asami took her chance to step out as the doors opened and breathe in some air. _Bolin is dead to me._

"Asami!"

Her friend took a few hurried steps to catch up, and walked in reverse in front of Asami, forcing herself into a conversation and leaving Asami without a way to escape her questioning gaze. An eyebrow waggle and a few steps later, the pair had left the building and stepped out into the night. The cold air took over the same way it did the last time she was with Korra, yet it seemed empty without the warmth of the tanned woman. "I'll take your lack of answer as a yes then. Asami you _need_ to give me details. You, going home with someone? Like one in a billion chance. I need info. I _thrive_ on this!"

Opal's eyes lit up and Asami could practically feel her eagerness tangibly in the air. She did make a point though, Asami never went home with anybody she met. Not because she was a prude, but being a position as one of the youngest CEOs, if not the most attractive, in the city came with a certain kind of fame. And that fame attracted a certain kind of crowd. Going home with people, especially those she didn't know very well, was not something Asami ever allowed herself to do. Yet it seemed Korra caused the usually level-headed CEO to break her own rule. "Actually she went home with me, for the record."

If it was possible for Opal's expression to get any more excited, that triggered it. A bigger gasp followed the first one as Asami's hand returned to lightly grasp the bridge of her nose once more, her friend slack jawed and eyes wide as saucers. _Good job Asami, you just made it worse for yourself._

"Asami Sato, you need to tell me everything. _Everything."_

"Nothing happened."

"Bullshit!"

The intersection where they usually split paths had come upon them, and Asami stopped the pair both. She returning Opal's enthusiastic stare with a stern one of her own. "I swear nothing happened, Opal. But I'll tell you the story later. As you seemed to keep reminding me, it _is_ three in the morning."

With a huff, Opal punched her hands into her jacket pockets and stuck her nose up slightly. "You're not getting out of this one, Sam."

Asami took her chance to lean her stride into the direction of home and give Opal a sidelong smirk, finally escaping the woman's grilling. Lingering any longer and Asami would be trapped permanently into Opal's questioning. It was a now or never move, and Asami took it into a scurry. "Goodnight, Opal!"

A small muttering could be heard behind her back, but Asami didn't turn around. It was better to leave the conversation now. It was always nice to have Opal be concerned about her well-being, but when it came to romantic relationships Opal definitely did not know how to let up on the gas. Any possibility of Asami being so much as _interested_ in another person, Opal would just lose her shit. Constant questions paired with the occasional Facebook stalking, and Opal would always get her answers. But that was what having a genuine friend was like, and deep down Asami didn't mind at all.

The walk back was familiar to her, but always disconcerting this late. The way never had enough lights and even though it was decently quiet as far as foot traffic, Asami always felt that slight fear creep up whenever an unfamiliar sound rang out in the area. It wasn't enough to make her seek another mode of getting to her apartment but Asami definitely thought it a great investment in taking judo training.

A left turn gave way to a road that Asami travelled many times but it took to a whole new presence in her mind. Up the street to the left was the building that housed The Benchdog, and Asami was felt somewhat guilty about not noticing it until now. Not that it was the only building she didn't pay attention to, but she realized her work mentality took over her life. That was normal, and that was comfortable. Work was everything Asami knew, but now it seemed the businesswoman felt business was not the only thing she wanted to consume her mind.

Nearing the building, Asami slowed as she walked by the large front window with the business name decaled on the glass. A soft glow from the back highlighted a few areas in the room, but all in all Asami could tell that it was very quiet and very vacant. The smell of wood was still lightly noticeable, but it already made its mark on Asami's senses. A slight draft curved around her body and tossed a few strands of hair into her vision followed by a shiver. It was already late and she couldn't spend much more time lingering, Opal was probably tracking her with GPS at this point.

Asami turned to continue the last bit of her walk, but was stopped by an unfamiliar hand grip her arm followed by a 'hey' in a low and semi-quiet voice. Asami was usually the think first, act second type but the surprise of being handled suddenly and unknowingly kicked in her fight-or-flight adrenaline, and Asami jerked her elbow in an attempt to escape the hold while connecting the attack with something solid behind her. A crack and a shout later Asami was able to break away and turn to face the unknown in a defensive position, ready to leap away in an escape at any moment. The other figure took a few steps in a stumble backwards, clearly taken off guard.

"Wow fuck that hurt!"

That reaction was not one Asami was expecting, nor the voice to follow. It was quite dark out, and Asami could tell there was a form near her but being able to tell their identity was a whole different story. That voice was low and pained but held newly familiar tones. It kind of sounded a little like Korra. Wait, it was Korra.

"Korra?" _Did I really just throw a god damn elbow at her, are you shitting me?_

The darkness adjusted to a form in what seemed like a hunched over position. Asami's eyes adapted a little to the dark and she could see Korra bent over, one hand on a knee and the other covering her face. "I mean I've been decked in the face before, but Spirits, Asami you have got an arm on you!"

"Korra I'm so sorry!" Dropping her defensive Asami instinctively rushed forward, her own hand now covering her mouth in a sense of shock while the other seemed to wander to rest against Korra's shoulder in a form of comfort. It was surprising, that kind of action was not one Asami found came naturally or if at all. The paler woman thought she heard some sort of dripping noise, and soon realized it was from girl in front of her. "Please tell me you're not bleeding right now."

A few more droplets could be heard hitting the concrete below them. "I'm pretty sure unless this liquid on my hand is brain fluid. Turn your phone screen on and shine it over here? You'd have to tell me how bad it is."

Asami nodded, fishing her phone from its warm pocket home and illuminating the screen as Korra straightened up to reach her actual height. A cool faint glow played across her face and those piercing blue eyes staring back at Asami were always the first thing that caught her attention, and they were always the thing that was able to catch her off guard.

A brief moment past before she tore herself away from Korra's stare to look where her attention was supposed to go to begin with. Asami realized that not only was there blood coming from the nose she had probably broken, but it was still flowing down to drop from her chin. That elbow hit really did a number on her, and Asami couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. "Korra…"

The woodworker slightly touched a finger to her chin and pulled back to see fresh blood came with it. "Ah it's pretty bad huh?"

In an attempt to wipe any amount off, Korra pulled up the bottom of her blue t-shirt but Asami never really saw much else except that glimpse of tan abdomen underneath. Even that small glimpse in the dark with barely any lighting Asami could tell Korra wasn't exaggerating when she said she enjoyed working out. It really took most of her willpower not to reach out and just graze the skin, her fingers curious if the Southerner would be more taut like the muscles would indicate or more soft to the touch as her mind let her imagine. It was hard to tell but Asami thought she saw a slight notion of line work on her skin. At this point Asami stopped caring that having these thoughts about someone was a surprise and instead let herself entertain them. It would almost seem a disservice not to.

"Aaaasami?"

Korra's voice shook her thoughts and Asami cleared her throat in an attempt to reset her brain. She met Korra's inquisitive eyes once more and couldn't help but let out a small laugh, which caused Korra's expression to become even more confused. "I'm sorry I'm not laughing at you, this whole situation is sort of comical. I'm really sorry I reacted like and quite possible broke your nose. If I knew it was you that would have played out a little differently. And I think you really need to get checked out."

"Whaaaat?" Korra's voice was filled with humor coming from a smirk on her lips. "From what I could tell you were already checking me out pretty well, I don't think a doctor would help much."

 _Way to go, Asami. Let's try and be remotely subtle next time._ Although Asami couldn't say she was completely bothered that Korra noticed her reaction. She could feel a small warmth in her cheeks at the remark, but knew it was unlikely Korra would notice. Not that it mattered.

Her own comment seem to instantly fluster Korra as if she suddenly realized what she said and went right into another signature ramble, hand flying back to rub her neck in a motion Asami was beginning to think was a nervous tic. "I mean uh, yeah. Sorry. I didn't realize I snuck up on you like that. I mean I really should have thought about it but I don't really think sometimes when it comes to…uhm. Also it was dark. And also nice elbow. Ah I mean like elbow attack…anyways can I borrow your phone?"

A small laugh left her lips again. Asami had not gotten tired of her small tangents. _"_ Don't you live right here?" A small hand motion to The Benchdog they were still standing in front of caused Korra's expression to drop.

"Yeah but I gave Bolin my keys to lock it and forgot my spare inside. And now my phone is dead. I just need to call him so he can let me back in." Her shoulders gave into a small shrug as she stuffed her hands into her pockets.

Wait. _Has she been out here this whole time?_ It was probably almost 4 AM. "Korra you can just stay at my place tonight?" Asami didn't really think out the response but was slightly startled by her directness. It was one thing to have a stranger at her home while intoxicated. It was another to ask them sober. But then again Korra really didn't seem like a stranger anymore. At the same time, knowing Korra would be staying where she herself lived, existing in such close proximity, would not let her mind go to sleep. She sounded in her mind like some high schooler stuck with a crush who developed too much internal anxiety over it. _Korra you don't really want to do that just say no._

The woodworker seemed a little surprised as well. "I am covered in blood and probably the most unappealing guest to have right now."

 _Unappealing is definitely not a word I'd use to describe you._ "Considering I caused it, I'm not bothered nor is your company undesirable."

"Asami I'd be bothering you, it's late."

"If you call Bolin you'd end up bothering him much more than you'd bother me. And it's the least I can do since I almost knocked you out and all." _Okay you can say no now._

"Yeah I guess you make a good point." _No Korra don't listen to me._ She gave another little shrug and chaste smile. "Lead the way?"

A couple slow footsteps forward and Korra started in the direction Asami was on originally. Another breeze caught Asami's long dark hair and swept it around her neck as she turned to join Korra's path. Something about Korra made Asami feel new, not in a life changing sense but in a way that revealed new aspects in her own personality. It was a positive growth feeling, a prominent feeling. Asami no longer denied the fact that she was _definitely_ attracted to this woman, not just physically but something lied beneath the surface that begged to be pulled up. Korra was not the first person Asami could pin as being attracted to, but it was an altogether different type of attraction that felt so unlike than anything else. Simply to say, Korra was distinctive. She had that kind of personality and became that kind of person Asami couldn't push away wanting to invest in.

And now that person was staying at her apartment _yet again,_ all within forty-eight hours.

 _You did this to yourself, Asami. Congratulations._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thundercatroar, boyyyy your PM is off and I can never reply to your reviews.

* * *

Korra could say she didn't believe she'd be standing in Asami's apartment again. And twice in a row, even. For one, they just met. And for two, Asami was a dark haired, green eyed _goddess_ who owned a multi-billion dollar company and was way out of her league. Like _way_ far. Which considering those facts, the woodworker was surprised to catch Asami basically giving her the up-down during their earlier encounter. At least she was pretty sure she wasn't imaging it, but Korra decided to entertain the thought that it happened for sure.

Washcloth in hand, Korra was currently attempting to scrub off the crusted blood still stuck to her face. She had managed to get off most of it, and Korra was fairly certain it wasn't broken since it hadn't swelled up much. Which was the most unexpected part. That hit to the face was well deserved but _wow_ could Asami throw out a mean hit. It was kind of hot, really. There wasn't much denial in that sense at this point.

Unlike the day before, Korra took a chance to look around at Asami's living space slightly. The thing that stuck out the most was it seemed the CEO had no personal effects around and it was always clean, like super clean. Clean in the sense that she was a neat freak or she never used anything enough to clean anyways. Korra guessed it was probably the latter with Asami's work schedule taken into account. From the sounds of it Asami only came back here to sleep as Korra didn't catch her coming back until very early in the morning. Or was it late at night?

"Korra?"

The way her name rolled off Asami's tongue was captivating. Blue eyes stared back at her in the mirror, taking one last look for any signs of blood she may have missed and then ripped her gaze away back to the doorway to the bathroom. Asami had peeked past the doorframe, dark hair framing that perfect bone structured face. She seemed timid in a way that was different than Korra's interactions before. Usually the businesswoman was exactly that; business. Confident. Assertive. Intimidating even. Restrained was not a word that fit Asami's demeanor if Korra was asked to describe her. But then again Korra knew there were sides to Asami she didn't know and hadn't been given a chance to see yet.

Asami had what looked to be a red shirt in her hand. Of course it was red. "Hey I figured you'd want a different shirt since yours is kind of ruined. I'm pretty sure this'll work."

Korra looked up as if she was pondering a thought. "Hmm should I be worried you'll hit me again since it's the same color as, you know, blood?" A flash of red from her peripheral and that same shirt sailed through the air to hit her dead in the face. It slipped down and revealed a small smirk with a look of mischief from the darker haired woman. Holding the shirt up, Korra saw what looked like a logo. "Fire Ferrets?"

"The mascot from my college. I don't remember how I got it, must have come with the Ph.D."

A small wheeze escaped the woodworker's throat. _Fucking Ph.D_. _She can't be older than like twenty five. Out of my league was an understatement._ Asami seemed to linger for a moment longer than necessarily needed. The small bout of confidence that returned just briefly then reverted back to a sort of coy awareness and she disappeared back into the remainder of the apartment, hair trailing behind her. Korra chuckled and switched over to the red Fire Ferrets attire, which fit remarkably comfortably. It also smelled of lavender and a hint of something else, not very strongly but definitely present. Korra could only surmise it was just Asami's own natural scent mixed in. Which she definitely didn't mind. _Okay stop being creepy_.

Following Asami back a moment later, Korra noticed she had switched to sweatpants that much have been the same kind as the day previously, and a loose fitting crop top. Just enough pale skin was exposed to be continually distracting for Korra. It was making her very frustrated. Asami in general was making her frustrated. All of the curiosity in Korra was making her want to reach out and just touch, and she was sure Asami was doing it on purpose after that ab stunt Korra pulled previously. What a way to pay her back.

Everything in the apartment was more of a darker hue. The living spaces in general were very minimal and contemporary with dark walnut flooring and mostly black accenting. It felt decently dark with the dim lighting that gave off a warmer tone yet at the same time felt fairly cold. It felt cold and empty and like one of those display homes that realtors show but isn't actually livable. She only had a few pops of color here and there, but for the most part the businesswoman lived in neutrals. Dimly lit in the kitchen, Asami was holding a small red mug that was one of those few color accents and the air was filled with the smell of coffee. "Uhm, do you care if I throw this shirt away? And why…why are you drinking coffee?"

Asami let out a small chuckle this time. "Yes you can. And I'm sort of a night owl, I don't really sleep a lot regularly so this is pretty normal. I only came home because Opal insisted on it." She lifted the mug to her lips and Korra couldn't help but notice it pulled on the bottom of her already short shirt, lifting and revealing a little more pale skin surface. Korra felt ridiculous, so baited by an inch of skin. _What are you Korra, twelve?_ "I also plugged your phone in while you were in the bathroom. Benefit of having the same brand, right?"

She saw her phone sitting on a table in the living room and thought about texting Bolin but knew the device would still be dead. She let out a nearly silent groan. "Are you really sure it's okay I stay here?"

Moving to lean back against the counter across from Korra, Asami tilted her head and gave her an amused look. "Yes, Korra. You've asked the same question like five times on the way here and the answer is going to be the same."

Even with all the reassurance Korra still felt like a nuisance. "Alright well set me up with a blanket and a floor space and I'm good to go."

With a push Asami moved from the counter and left the kitchen space as she spoke. "Don't be ridiculous Korra, there are better places to sleep than the floor."

 _Better places than the floor…what is she insinuating…what am I insinuating that she is insinu – Korra stop._ Following her into the other room, Korra saw she disappeared to reappear with a blanket and handed it to her. It felt like one of those expensive ass materials that people buy just to sound rich. Like wool but fancy wool. What was that called, crashmoor? Catmash? Cashmere. Yeah nobody actually buys that for any utilitarian use right?

Asami's living room furniture was set up a horse shoe placement, with sectionals pieced together in a U shape with the opening having a large television across against the wall. It seemed like way too much couch space for a single person. "I'm sure you can figure something out." Asami left to disappear again into another room, and Korra was left to move her way around to a spot on the couch. The atmosphere in the apartment was much different at night than she had experienced in the middle of the day. Tossing the blanket down Korra sank into the cushions and closed her eyes. She could definitely fall asleep fast in this material.

A few moments passed in silence before Korra could hear footsteps and sense a form rest on the couch to her left. Cracking one eye open she saw Asami seated with a laptop screen open, the blue light illuminating her features. She looked at Korra in question. She was wearing black rimmed glasses. _Wow she's fucking adorable_. "Do you mind if I sit here and work more? It's just what I do most nights."

The amount of work that Asami seemed to do was slightly terrifying. "Of course it's your place, don't mind me. I can go somewhere else if I'm bothering you."

A genuine smile and a shake of her head was Asami's reply and Korra moved to stretch out the length of the couch, reaching for her phone at the same time to find Bolin's number in her recent messages. Her thumb moved around to explain why she was sending a text so late at night.

" _Hey I got locked out of the apartment, and my phone died. Left the key inside…can you feed Naga when you open up tomorrow?"_

She turned the phone face down on her stomach, feeling somewhat guilty at texting him so late. "Hey do you think it's too late for Bolin to respond?"

Behind the laptop screen Asami looked up, her eyes peeking over the top in confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked over absently, clearing thinking. Korra's phone almost immediate got a response, which was very surprising for Bolin. "Oh never mind he already replied."

" _Korra are you locked out on the streets?!"_

It was nice to know Bolin was concerned about it. Truth be told, if her role was reverse she probably would have laughed first. He at least deserved to know she was fine. _"No I'm at Asami's actually."_

A movement caught her eye and she looked up to see Asami pull her laptop screen down slightly to get a better look at Korra. "Hey this might sound strange…but could you not mention you're here?"

 _Oh._ "Uhm…" _Fuck I already sent that._ "Why?"

Asami opened her mouth as if to say something when she was cut off by a chime from her phone ringing through the air. It was one of those preset ringtones, the kind that's not the first one picked for a factory reset phone but one of those extras built in. One that shows she wasn't completely concerned about personalizing her phone but at the same time putting a small amount of effort into what it sounded like. She let out a sigh over the constant chime. "I see you already mentioned it."

She let the noise play out until the call ended, Korra and Asami sat sort of staring at each other not completely sure what to say. Another incoming call broke the silence and paler woman let out another annoyed sigh, giving in to answering the call.

"Yes Opal…yes….no….no it's not….I hate you….actually tell Bolin I hate him too…yes, tomorrow Opal. Goodnight talk to you later bye." With a last, rushed sentenced Asami hung up the call immediately and dropped her head back in a groan.

It took a moment for Korra to connect the dots and realize Bolin had probably told Opal considering they lived together. Korra still wasn't sure why Asami didn't want her to mention it but she wasn't about to question her motives. "Hey sorry, I should have asked."

She rolled her head to the side to look at Korra, but was distracted by a vibration from her phone, followed by maybe three more. And it kept buzzing. Eventually she snatched up the device and turned it completely off. "It's alright, you didn't know. Opal, well, has a particular interest in the fact that you're here I guess."

That made everything even more confusing than it was before, and Korra's confusion must have shown on her face because Asami laughed softly at her expression. "I mean I don't often have company. Okay I don't ever have company, so she sees you as sort of…an anomaly."

That sounded pretty foreboding. Her eyebrows creased slightly more. "What? Like I'm a creeper? Oh wait what if it's better, like an alien?" Korra gave a dramatic gasp and both of her hands flew to the sides of her face. "She knows I'm _actually a reptilian!"_

A throaty laugh floated through the air this time, and it was the response Korra was hoping for. She didn't want her text blunder to make the rest of the night awkward. It very well could have.

"I highly doubt that, Korra. You're far from cold-blooded." Asami gave her a look that seemed to dig into her mind, burrowing a hole and getting stuck in a way that would remain in her thoughts long after the moment. Frankly Korra wasn't sure how long that moment was in reality, but to her it felt like an hour. The other woman broke the silence with a diffident smile and a shrug. "I don't really get involved with people, so she's thinking that's what you being over here is. Like we're an item."

 _Oh shit. Opal thinks we're dating or something. Ohshitshitshit play it cool._ Korra couldn't really form a sentence so instead of words, her first reaction ended up being her signature eyebrow waggle. It wasn't until mid-waggle did Korra realize was she was doing. _Wow fucking smooth._

Contrary to how Korra assumed the opposite reaction would go, Asami laughed at that too. "You know this might be brash but you're a very attractive person. And your eyebrow moves are quite the charmer."

Now Korra definitely didn't know what to say. Being hit on by the owner of Future Industries was not how Korra imagined this night would play out. She could feel her cheeks flush and hoped the lighting covered it up enough, it was pretty dim. Her initial plan of playing it cool was not being executed well. This moment would have been her chance to really show some interest in entering the flirting game, but instead Korra just managed to choke out a 'thanks'. She mentally punched herself in the face afterwards for missing the opportunity.

Asami met her glanced for a moment longer and closed her laptop entirely. If she was aware of Korra's slightly thrown demeanor, Asami didn't show it. "Would it be too much if I asked if you wanted to watch a movie?"

A movie? At the crack of dawn? With Asami, Korra was incapable of saying no. "Only if I get to pick it."

Her emerald eyes squinted into a hard stare at Korra, clearly weighing her options. "Okay deal, what's your pick?"

"Sharknado 2."

"God damn it."

Korra responded with a shrug and a smile. "Hey it's only fair since you picked the first one."

A pale hand removed Asami's glasses and placed them on the dark coffee table between the couch ends. "I would argue that choice didn't count if we take into consideration how inebriated I was at that time, but I'll give you this one."

She grabbed the remote and turned the television on, moving to sit next to Korra. Asami was spaced close enough to the woodworker to eliminate an awkward gap between the two, but far away enough to remain cordial. The lavender scent that Korra was introduced to earlier returned, it was new but beginning to become familiar. The small amount of illumination from the screen danced on Asami's facial features just enough to give a highlight to them and the artistic side of Korra couldn't help but etch it into her memory.

Somehow Sharknado 2 was still streaming on Netflix and Asami gave Korra a lazy side-eye when she started the title. A chuckled followed by a slight movement and Korra had pulled a pencil from her jean pocket, holding it in the air between the two. The gesture was clearly directed at Asami, which caused the other woman to raise an eyebrow and question the movement. "What's that for?"

Korra's eyebrow waggle returned. "For you to take notes, since this is a new area of study for you. The ancestry of the Mako shark."

A light scoff was the response followed by a shoulder

A shoulder nudge came in reponse from the dark haired women and her arm pushed the pencil back in Korra's direction. The movement caused the two to become closer, and Korra could feel the lightest touch of their shoulders. Normally being so close to another person, especially someone so unknown, would have an awkward or uneasy feel. But Korra could say that in the unfamiliar environment with the somewhat enigmatic individual next to her, she hadn't felt this kind of content since moving to the city except in her own home. The simple fact that Asami's presence was so comfortable to Korra was as charming as it was dangerous. Yet charming and dangerous was something Korra was beginning to welcome.

* * *

The first thing Asami was aware of was the fact that she was strangely warm. It took a moment for her groggy mind to form regular thoughts and realize she had woken. She couldn't remember falling asleep actually. Her thoughts returned to the fact that she was surrounded by a soft warmth and pressure, and upon trying to move the slightest and sit up that pressure pressed tighter.

It only took a moment for her to realize that pressure was in fact Korra, a warm tan arm draped across Asami's waist and a slow soft breath to the back of her neck. But that fact caused her entire body to flush, and Asami own senses became hypersensitive.

 _I'm a little spoon trapped on my own couch, being cuddled by basically a stranger. A tan, tattooed, and very attractive stranger…_ They both must have fallen asleep while watch that terrible choice of a movie. A clever choice, considering the events of the viewing of the first Sharknado. Asami vaguely remembered she nodded off a few times but she didn't think she'd fall asleep completely.

The lighting in the room had increased naturally and Asami knew it was probably far past time for her to go back to Future Industries. With a slow stretch she was able to reach Korra's phone that was still sitting on the table in front of her. Turning the phone on to life, she saw her lock screen photo was of the white fluffy canine Asami had the chance to meet the day before, a pink tongue hanging out with a bright expression. She couldn't help but smile at the photo before she glanced to the top at the time. 9:42am. _Fuck_. The engineer was far past the time she usually arrived at the company, which was 8am. At the latest.

The phone was placed back on the table surface and the movement of her arm returning caused the woman behind her to pull Asami in just a bit closer, followed by a near quiet hum. Asami could tell Korra was deeply asleep still. If Asami had any notion of Korra's mannerisms yet, the other woman would not be consciously cuddling her so freely. And frankly, Asami was surprised at herself for remaining where she was for so long.

Korra was new and unknown but at the same time she was so very comfortable. She had a humble type of confidence and a sense of intelligence that wasn't necessarily the same compared to what Asami would classify herself as possessing, but there was no doubt it was bright. A lot of things about Korra were bright, she was like a little light that was endearing and affectionate even if Korra wasn't outward with it, and it was a light Asami couldn't stop staring at. Her personality was capturing and Asami considered herself hooked, but tentatively so.

She thought again about Future Industries, and wondered how she was going to remove herself in order to return to work. But the slight sound of a small breath and the warmth of Korra's arm against her skin was too much of an innocent temptation to let go of yet. With the justification 'it's Sunday, I think I deserve a day off of my own company' set in her mind, Asami closed her eyes and allowed herself to simply exist where she was at that moment. Still unaware of what she was completely sure she wanted, it at least was a moment Asami quickly decided she didn't want to be the last of.


	6. Chapter 6

"As for the third-quarter of the year, our profit margin has surpassed last year's number by nearly 5%. While the Loss and Prevention Department decreased labor costs, we saw no difference in the positive or negative movement of those percentages."

With slight adjustment in her seat, Asami stretched one cramped leg out to cross it over her other knee. She could feel a small burn beginning to take its hold in her shoulders. This was the fourth meeting today alone, and it was by far the most boring yet. A glance up at the standard, bland black and white clock above the exit to the stagnant room showed it was nearly 10 PM. The voice coming from the other end of the room was from the newest member of her company's council. And what he said didn't sit well with the CEO.

"Mr. Matsuda, I understand you're the newest director of advertising and marketing, correct?"

The speaker nodded. His overall appearance was that of a middle-aged man who seemed to take the most minimal amount of effort into his physical presentation. His suit was creased in odd spots and didn't seem to fit his physique very well. Small droplets of sweat was beginning to collect right near his receding hairline, and his jaw was a mess of patchy hairs that all had different lengths. Asami wasn't quite sure who moved him to that position, but she couldn't say she remembered interviewing him for it. Considering Future Industries was one of the most prestigious companies in the world, Asami felt as though a high ranking employee should have at least _some_ standards.

His speech was long and seemed to drag on, his slightly nasally voice beginning to prod at a nerve in Asami. She normally had a good amount of patience, but Matsuda was pushing it to the brink. He sounded confident in his presentation, but Asami wasn't sure he was connecting as many dots as her mind was, numbers pushing through her skull in way that didn't stack up. She was very intimately aware of everything that went on in her company in a numbers sense, and it was apparent he was not.

"I'm betting you're unaware of this fact, but before you, I was allocating an amount of one hundred and fifty million yuans to the previous director _just_ for the advertising department alone. Before the unfortunate loss of said previous director Mr. Ling, Spirits bless his sweet soul, he was able to push out profit margins stemming just from marketing and advertising of fifteen to twenty percent in the positive per term."

The droplets formed on the man's head grew heavy, slipping down his face over cheeks flushed red. Temperature in the building was always maintained at seventy degrees, not hot enough to warrant such perspiration so it was obvious he was beginning to become very uncomfortable by some other means.

Asami took a long moment in the silence of the other council members to flip through a collective of the advertising department's completed objectives for the term. With each slow turn of the pages, Asami's eyes never even touched the paper but remained on the flustered man at the other end of the room. She didn't need to look at the papers anymore, she had studied them with a scrutinous eye last night. She made it a point to stare daggers into him, his body language turning basically into that similar of a worm under her gaze.

"Mr. Matsuda, please explain to me how you are given one hundred and fifty million yuans, which is one of the highest amounts of all of the departments, and then tell me that your positive profit margin is _nearly five percent?_ And in addition, you just said you have reduced labor in loss and prevention, yet my payroll is still showing complete pay for maxed hours in each employee's records? Quite frankly, Mr. Matsuda, where is all of my money going to?"

The sweating director was looking nervously from one person to another in the room, hoping for some sense of hope. Asami knew Matsuda had been embezzling for a month now, his paper trail was atrocious and so easily detectable. Yet obvious as his own trail was, Asami couldn't trace where the money was actually going to and the movements became ghosted. But being the collected, levelheaded, and sometimes intimidating CEO she was, Asami decided to bide her time and wait to present her findings when they were concrete. She always gave a sense of leniency and understanding when it came to her workers. They were human, after all. But Future Industries' council members all needed to be well acquainted with the fact that Asami Sato did not let the slightest thing slip past her.

In a sudden and swift moment, the advertising director threw open the door and exited the conference room, escaping from Asami's implications. A distinct murmur grew among the remaining members, and one leaned a shoulder in Asami's direction. "Ma'am I think he's running away."

 _Yeah no shit, thank you._ Asami pushed herself up rather unrushed, smoothing her deep maroon pencil skirt as she stood. "We'll pick this meeting up later in the week. In the meantime, please refrain from getting in the way of security as they escort Mr. Matsuda from the building." Asami's tall heels created a muffled tapping noise when struck upon the carpet, and she exited the room to move to the elevator. Matsuda was already being dragged out of Future Industries by two large, built men. The dark haired woman knew he wasn't going to go on her terms, and already made arrangements with security before the meeting.

Doors quickly closing behind her, Asami felt a rush as the elevator began to move up and gravity weighed on her. Digging her phone from her purse, she looked to the home screen for any missed calls or messages. It revealed a whole lot of nothing. With a sigh she dropped the device back into her bag. Normally she would be elated that nobody had bothered her, but Asami found herself hoping that wouldn't have been the case. A strange part of her was disappointed in the fact that she hadn't heard from a specific tanned and blue-eyed individual. It had been a few days since Asami woke up on her couch without Korra's presence there, only left with a small drawing of what was very clearly Asami's sleeping face left on the table. _Five days but who's counting._ Asami shook her thoughts away as the chime from the elevator signaled the doors opening to her office floor.

Asami opened the door to see Opal sitting behind her desk, shooting paper balls into a nearby trash can. Evidently her friend had been there awhile, the trash can was at the point of overflowing from scrunched up paper. As many as were in the can, it looked as if there were much more scattered around it on it floor. Looking over at the CEO, Opal sighed and slumped down into the chair. "Oh thank god I was getting so bored."

Asami snorted and sat across from her in the chairs that usually seat her clients. "You and me both. What are you still doing here? Have you been up here since we got lunch?" She subconsciously picked her phone up again to click open the home screen, only to realize was she was doing as she glanced at it. _If she didn't message you in the last five days she won't right now._ Letting it slip back and away, Asami looked back up to Opal with a small scowl.

"Yeah. Bolin's working tonight so I decided to hang out here." Opal spun around on the swivel, still slumped and being swallowed in leather. An eyebrow poked up as the smaller woman noticed Asami's annoyance. "…Are you alright?"

 _No._ "Yes." She sighed. "Just work stuff."

Opal's form shot up from her chair and leaned slightly over the desk between the two, eyes burning into Asami. "No. It's not work stuff. I know you, Sam. If it was work stuff you would be talking ten words a second about business-y and engineering stuff I've never heard about." Her eyes squinted and Opal looked as if to be studying Asami's reactions. "Is it Korra?"

"It's stupid."

"It's Korra."

After much pleading, Opal finally was able to get the story of Korra out from Asami earlier in the week. At least, more or less. There were probably a few details here and there Asami left out, but she trusted her friend more than anybody. She never thought twice about sharing her feelings about various topics.

Asami gave an eye roll and her friend moved back to sit straight in her chair, arms crossed paired with a demanding look. "Alright what did she do, do I gotta fight her?"

The reaction was not what Asami was quite expecting, and she gave a chuckle in response. "No, Opal. She hasn't done anything. Literally. In five days. Not even a single 'hello' text."

Opal's arms moved from being crossed against her chest to both elbows resting on the desk, head propped up by her hands. "Aaaand how many times have you sent a 'hello' text in the last five days?"

"Uhm…well…none?" That caught Asami off guard. Opal replied with a long 'hmmm' and a knowing look in her eye. "I see your point." Opal had a way of making Asami feel completely stupid sometimes. And it was a good feeling, almost comforting.

The drawing that was left by Korra had been tucked away, and Asami pulled it from her purse for the first time to really look at it. The paper itself was very small, maybe half the size of a standard index card. But the size didn't alter the fact that it was a very high quality work. Asami had seen many drawings of larger size in famous galleries that paled in comparison to the workmanship of Korra's art. It was stunning, yet simple and somehow intimate. And in some way even though Asami had seen Korra's drawings only twice, it seemed like she's seen them previously.

Her peripherals hinted a change in Opal's body language, her eyes were attempting to peek over into Asami's hands. The businesswoman didn't need to ask what Opal wanted, her face showed enough curiosity to answer that question. She reached out and laid the paper in Opal's direction. "Korra left this on my table for me to find the other day. Are you aware of how good of an artist she is? I feel like I've seen it before."

It only took a moment of a glance at the drawing for Opal's eyes to widen. "No waaay!"

A dark, sleek eyebrow shot up from Asami. "No way what?"

Opal picked up the paper delicately, seeming to study it rather in depth. "Nobody has seen new works from Raava in over six years, Asami. No drawings no doodles, not even a whisper of anything. Went completely off-grid." She handed the paper back to the longer haired women, a look of confusion on Asami's face. "It's seems so familiar to you because Raava is a very well-known two-dimensional artist, more so in the southern regions but works have been in any major gallery show and event you could possibly think of. Well known, but a ghost at the same time. Anything about Raava that is known is only the art, they are very private. But Raava is in reality Korra. Only her parents, Bolin, Mako and I know it for certain. And now I guess you." Opal gave a little shrug. "I'm pretty sure I've actually seen her works in your personal galleries. She does a good job at keeping a secret identity."

Asami shook her head. The information was a bit to fully grasp. "Wait wait…if that's the case, then why does Korra make furniture now? Why did she give it up and change course?"

Opal returned to slump back down in the leather chair, twisting side to side in a slow arc. "That, nobody really knows. She just kind of disappeared for a while, eventually moved up here to the city, and that's where I met her through Bolin. Korra at her core is the textbook definition of enigma to me. I feel like I know her personality well but not her motives."

Even with Opal's explanations, Asami still felt a slight confusion. For one, nothing about Korra hinted any of that was true. With any high-profile gallery openings Asami ever attended, famed artists usually gave off an impression of pride, always trying to self-market and a lot of the times giving a very pretentious vibe. Most of the time Asami was simply at events for formality's sake. The engineer carried a certain kind of confidence in herself, but there was a difference between that confidence and conceit. Korra definitely was not any of those she had experienced before.

The pause Asami had taken to explore her train of thought must have shown clearly on her face. Opal let out a held breath and leaned over to grab her bag from the floor, dropping it heavily on the desk in-between the two. "Come on, let's go to Bolin and see if he has anything to say about this one."

"Opal, if Korra hasn't talked about it this long then maybe we shouldn't pry…"

But those words fell on no ears at all, considering Opal was already flying out the door, her cell phone instantly soaring up to her ear. Asami could hardly keep up with the smaller woman with how fast she seemed to be walking. Opal seemed to be bursting out of her office more often than Asami did.

With Opal in the lead, their walk was almost uncomfortably quick. Bolin still happened to be at the Bench Dog and luckily (or unluckily, she couldn't yet decide) for Asami, Korra wasn't there with him. Twirling a lock of his hair around a pencil, Bolin was idly flipping through some paperwork as Opal stormed through yet another doorway. The sudden sound paired with his surprise cause the pencil's eraser end to jolt in tandem with his arm and poke Bolin right in his eye. Asami couldn't help but let out an immediate chuckle at the scene.

Opal gave him a small comforting peck to his eyelid, but quickly went to grilling the poor man for information. "Hey so where's Korra right now?"

A large hand was still rubbing away at his watery eye. "Ah, at the gym I think. Is something wrong? Is she late on something?" He let out a small gasp. "Am _I_ late on something?!"

Opal assured him that was not the case and turned back to Asami, hand open and palm facing up. She knew exactly what her friend was requesting and a moment later Asami had dug the familiar paper from her purse to place it in that hand. "Check this, Bolin."

He blinked a small tear away from his eye before taking the drawing. His eyebrows slowly raised and he let out a long whistle. "Wooooooow I didn't think I'd see anything like this again."

Opal, clearly still in investigation mode, cut right to the chase. "So do you know why Korra stopped drawing years ago? And why she's suddenly started it up again?"

Bolin handed the drawing back to Asami, her fingertips touching velvety paper once again. "As for why she started? Not a clue. Why she quit though…" His body language took on a more uncomfortable sense, and he directed his eyes to the floor. "It's not my place to tell. What happened was very personal for Korra. If you want to know you should ask her about it."

Opal chided. "Aww come on Bolin, just give me a little piece, I'm not-"

"Opal no." Asami's voice was soft, but stern. Opal looked over to her friend in slight surprise. "If Korra didn't want it to be known, Bolin is right to not spill her secrets." She nodded to Bolin in response to his honesty, and Asami really appreciated the fact that Opal had chosen someone with such a pure character. "Thank you Bolin. I won't bother your work so I'll be on my way home, thanks for talking with us."

She began to turn to leave but Bolin's voice caught her movement into a stop. "Asami, could you go see her? Or…just talk to her for maybe like five minutes? She been holed up in the gym these last few days, I rarely see her here and she hasn't been her usual self…just…talk to her? I think she'd like that." The big green eyes staring back at her were in a way pleading, and Asami was sure he was giving the puppy dog eyes Opal talks too much about. And they were definitely working.

She didn't really take any time to consider saying no to him. "Of course, what way is the gym?" Asami scolded herself in giving in so easily to the idea of talking to Korra again. But at the same time, she was elated to find an excuse to.

"One street south, and then two blocks to your left. It's pretty close."

Opal gave a quick thumbs up and Asami rolled her eyes lightly in response, leaving the studio echoing with the clacking of her heels as she went. The directions Bolin gave were simple, but Asami found herself going into an autopilot as she walked. What was she even supposed to say? Did Bolin mean talk in general, or specifically about something? The drawings? Her past? _Quiet, you're overthinking way too much._ She sighed to herself.

The building she reached was more on the medium to smaller size, and definitely was not a gym Asami Sato could say she would have been found in. With peeling paint on the exterior and weather worn lumber, it almost looked like it was falling to pieces but something about it still seemed strangely homely.

Asami wasn't really sure what to expect, but she definitely wasn't prepared for the familiar tan skin across the room. A layer of sweat and a lot more skin exposed than previous encounters, Korra's attention was locked in a grapple with an opponent double her size on a large floor mat. Asami would consider herself well versed in different types of martial art styles, but it seemed as if Korra was using multiple styles at the same time. It was hard to pinpoint what exact techniques was being used, but what Asami did know was that Korra was about to put her opponent into a serious arm bar. With a ripple of muscle and a fluidity in movement, Korra had a certain poise about her. To Asami it was new, fresh, and with the addition of those calculated blue eyes, very enthralling.

Her gaze was caught on their sparring match and Asami just stood within vicinity of the entrance, waiting to see the outcome. Korra hadn't noticed her presence yet so Asami took the time to shamelessly admire the other woman. When Korra had mentioned she liked to work out, Asami didn't necessarily know what that involved but she was obviously was not exaggerating. Her physique showed, less of a body builder but more of an athlete or fighter. Muscles twisted with movements well practiced in her physical art, that Polynesian tattoo very clearly leading down her shoulder to splay throughout her side and back, and S _pirits,_ Asami never wanted to touch anything more. Asami knew whoever she was sparring with wasn't going to last much longer at all.

The strain on the man's face as he tried to last through Korra's submission wasn't hidden very well. Any longer and his elbow would break, but in that instant Korra glanced towards the door and met Asami's own green eyed gaze. It only took the briefest moment but the tanned fighter was caught completely off guard and the man only needed that moment to turn the tables on her, throwing Korra's entire body across the mat. She landed on her back with a thud and the man roared with laughter. The downed woodworker sat up with a deep huff and immediately looked over to Asami with a dubious look.

Asami couldn't help but let out a quiet chortle at the sight. She went to give a small wave but was suddenly blocked by a lithe, pale figure.

"Hey sweetheart, I can't say I've seen you around here before. And I _definitely_ would have noticed a piece like you."

The man was slightly taller than Asami's height with pale skin, dark and slightly wavy hair falling over the side of this face. His eyes had a cunning aspect to them, topped by thin, arched eyebrows. Something about the way his face was shaped reminded Asami of a snake. One sentence spoken and she was already very irritated by his presence.

A single eyebrow raised slightly higher on his face and Asami could feel his eyes creeping over here. "It looks like you might need a tour. For you darling, I could always work out some private lessons."

Before his smirk could grow wider, a hand grabbed the side of his face and pushed the man out from Asami's path. "Fucking stop, Tahno. The only thing that would ever come anywhere near you is a sock and your own god damn hand."

Tahno let out a small growl but seemed to instantly compose himself. "Now Korra, it's rude to interrupt. I highly doubt she came this way to talk to a loser like you, especially considering that beating you just took."

Korra snorted, her eyes narrowed and pierced blue daggers towards him. "Let's talk about the beating you're about it get."

There was a moment where lightning almost literally danced between the two, but Tahno broke the stare down and moved closer to Asami. "Alright Korra, now leave the adults to talk. Your kind isn't wanted here."

If it wasn't Tahno's comment about Korra that was going to set Asami off, it was the personal space he took up and movement of the man's right hand to slightly rest on her back. Actually it was a _lot_ lower than just her back, that provoked Asami's defenses. Being well versed herself in self defensive techniques Asami snatched his wrist up quicker than either Tahno or Korra could register, twisting him into a lock and putting pressure on the joint but prevented snapping it.

The whole ordeal took only an arm's movement effort, and Asami looked at his pained face with as much of a calm intimidation as she could muster. "If I hear even a single squeak come out of your mouth, I will wreck you. Your body language suggests you have a right hand dominance. One little chirp and you'll be missing a quality date with your hand and a sock for the next eight weeks."

A bead of sweat traveled down the side of his face and Tahno open his mouth to speak, but Asami increased her pressure on the lock hold, staring darker and the man crumpling under her grip. "Do. Not. Test. Me." A few seconds passed by in silence before Asami was sure he wasn't going to fight back again.

Upon returning her attention to Korra, she was met with more silence. Korra's eyes danced between Asami's own and Tahno's form on the floor, still crushed by Asami's arm lock. Her mouth would sort of drop open slightly, shut, and then open again. That moment caused Asami to realize just how bashful the woodworker truly was and she couldn't help but let out a sincere smile. "Hey there."

A last glance at Tahno and Korra's hand shot up characteristically to rub the back of her neck, a wide grin on her face. "Uh hi. What're you doing here?"

In her time knowing Korra, it didn't take very long for Asami to realize it was quite easy to fluster the tan woman. It wasn't just the way Korra was, but it was a reflection of the effect of Asami simply existing around her, and that was intriguing. It was almost something she could capitalize on.

Dark strands of hair fell slightly forward as she tilted her head. "I'm here looking for you, of course. Do you think I came here for this scrub?" She motioned to Tahno with a small twist of his arm and a quiet whine came in response.

Korra's light brown eyes flickered in response with clear amusement. She was warm and genial without needing to say anything in response and Asami quickly came to adore that. The arm under her tight grip was let go, and Tahno let out a pained sigh of relief. She cut him a stare, the look of intimidation returning. Asami's expression spoke enough words for her and Tahno glanced angrily between the two women before slinking off and out the gym door.

The room echoed with the sound of the door slamming shut and only a few seconds after it had faded away, Korra was doubled over in laughter. The sound was capturing and Asami couldn't help but laugh with her. "You have no idea how many people in this place have been waiting for something like that!"

Another chuckle came in response. "I couldn't possibly tell. Why does he stick around here if everybody hates him?"

By now Korra had recovered and calmed, but now it was Asami's turn to have an adverse reaction. Somehow the CEO had lost some of her resolve in the situation. Korra's presence was demanding but possessed grace, even subconsciously. Her plan to amuse herself with Korra's diffident nature seemed to backfire and now Asami was the one affected by the other party. The way Korra's face set in a firm look but quickly lit up at even the smallest joy, the way her drawings captured life in an artful silence yet contrasts her loud nature, even the slight contraction of muscles from a laugh. Korra didn't seem to play the part of a reckoning force but that's what she was, and Asami couldn't help but _feeling_. Strange to her, but it was exhilarating.

Korra gave a slight shrug. "The guy who owns this place is all about wholesome training and thinks we are all of the same spiritual energy and we should coexist. He's kinda nutty in my opinion." She flashed a bold grin. "So…you're here for me, huh? What'd I do to earn that one?"

 _Oh you know, by being charismatic, creative, not to mention extremely tantalizing._

"Well. Your charm for one," She received a slight raise of an eyebrow in response, but reached to retrieve Korra's small drawing from her pursue. "But for two I was, well, _persuaded_ __to ask about Raava's disappearance."

At the sight of that drawing Korra's demeanor instantly dropped, an invisible wall immediately coming up around her and blocking everything out from the sudden fragile form within. It took but a moment for Asami to know that her original assumption about this being a bad idea was true; this was a definitely bad idea. _I shouldn't have come here. Fucking Opal._ "I'm sorry Korra, disregard that entirely."

To her surprise Korra gave another smile, small and laced with sadness but a smile nonetheless. "No it's okay. I...want to. But I'm not quite ready for that yet. Does that make sense?" Asami knew Korra was searching for acceptance in her words, that much was clear.

"Do you want to start with dinner then?"

The other woman simply stared for a moment, Asami was almost sure she had zoned out entirely. A confused look settled on Korra's face. "What do you mean by…dinner?"

 _Oh for fuck's sake._ "A date, Korra."

"Oh." Korra still looked slightly confused. But Asami swore she visibly saw a gear start to turn in her head as her eyes went wide. "Ohhh a DATE." That signature nervous tick returned, Korra basically rubbing her neck raw. "I mean yeah, like…yeah. A date. Yeah that's…a date. Me though? With you? Like...together at the same time?"

Asami took a moment to look around at literally nobody else around them. "Well actually I meant Tahno, but sure. I guess I'll settle."

"Ah okay I get your point." Korra chuckled and shook her head. "To be honest, I've been spending the last couple days debating with myself on if _I_ should ask _you_ out. You beat me to it, it seems."

 _Ah fuck me._ Asami mentally berated herself. "You know if we're being honest here, I was waiting on a text from you for the past few days and getting a _little_ annoyed, so I think I'm on a worse level over here."

She didn't think those blue eyes of Korra could be any brighter but they were now. Her face had a slight flush. _Still fucking cute._ "Alright I need to finish up here, but what're you thinking, like tomorrow? Or is that too soon…or like a week?" She crossed her arms in thought, muscles rippling with the movement and tattoos shone through the sheen of sweat remaining from her practice match. _Wow this building is hot…or she's hot. Probably both._

Frankly, Asami didn't intend to suggest a date but she couldn't help but ask. Korra was someone Asami wanted to know and gain into her life. Romantically? Most definitely. Would that happen? Asami couldn't say for certain but there never was a risk she wasn't willing to take for something she wanted this badly. "There's no reason you should feel pressured. Take your time and just text me?" She backed up and leaned against the door, waiting for a response before leaving.

Her eyes lit up and she nodded, flashing a grin that made Asami's stomach do a small flip against her will. "I'll most definitely text you."

A moment longer to stare into those capturing eyes and Asami pushed on the door behind her, a breeze catching her hair and she finally exited to head to her apartment. She felt nervous, a feeling so unusual to the CEO that she wasn't sure what to do with it yet. But it was exciting and Asami couldn't help but feeling exhilarated at the notion that someone like Korra was even interested. Of course she was Asami Sato, CEO of Future Industries, wanted by many. In comparison, Korra was different than anybody who knew her before. The definition of what exactly Asami's wants were had rapidly altered and it was strange to imagine a single person had changed what Asami knew about her own self.

A few minutes into her route, a chime from her purse caught her attention. A bright glow from the screen popped up a text and swiping it open revealed words from the tan, enchanting woman she had just conversed with.

" _Hey sorry but I'm a very impatient person. Especially when it comes to you. Tomorrow at 6pm?"_

A small smile formed on her lips. Five days of the need for a text built up into one, and Korra's impatience was not unwelcome. What to do next, was the real question. _Why did you ask for a date you have no plan for…_


	7. Chapter 7

I think this is the longest chapter yet. I've realized it takes me so long to write because I'll put down like four sentences and then reread the entire chapter.

And wash, rinse, and repeat.

* * *

Clothing sailed through the air, flying across the room to land into a pile of other pieces similar to it. Korra held up another shirt and looked curiously on the attire. _No, not this one either…_ She tossed it aside to join the others in the mess on the floor. More clothing came up into her hands, furrowing her eyebrows and giving it the necessary sniff test. _Wow no, not clean._ It flew over her shoulder in the direction of the pile but a yelp followed suit. Naga had been lying next to the mountain of clothes and was glaring at Korra in response to being hit by the shirt. Korra gave a loud huff and flopped down on the floor next to the canine. "Naga, you're supposed to tell me to stop being dumb and just pick something." The dog sucked in a deep breath and blew hot air in Korra's face in response.

She gave a louder sigh and pulled her phone out. "Why does this have to be so difficult?" The screen lit up and she clicked to open it back up to messages from the day prior. Korra had caught herself reading them a few times, probably to ensure herself that this wasn't a joke from the universe.

" _So what did you have planned for this date/dinner/FriendlyOutingincaseyoudon'tactuallylikeme?"_

" _Well Korra, as for this DATE, I was thinking a joint effort?"_

" _What? You mean you don't have a plan?"_

" _Me? Asami Sato, not have a plan? Please, of course I do. I just didn't want to steal all the thunder. But if you don't want said thunder, I won't mind."_

At this point in time, the notion of actually going out with Asami hit Korra like a sock full of locks. _That means we do stuff. Like romantic stuff. And I have to think of that stuff._

" _Yes."_

It took probably forty minutes for Asami to respond, which had caused any amount of anxiety Korra ever had to flare up before a chime and a message pulled her back to reality.

" _Alright, well I figured you would have told me your plan. But if you want to keep to your mysterious charms, you get part one and I get part two. See you later."_ And then she ended the conversation off by sending a GIF of herself, dark tousled hair framing bone structure that could literally cut you, with a sly smirk and shameless wink. That looped. That Korra stared at for probably an hour.

The phone was tossed away and Korra took a long second to stare at the ceiling. It took a few more moments longer to consider her options, and finally settled. "Alright Naga. The first thing I grab is what I'm wearing." An arm shot out to wriggle around in the pile until Korra's fingers grasped onto her choice.

She pulled a navy blue short sleeved button down from the pile. That had small penguins printed all over it. _Fuck._ A glance at the time on her watch said 5:42pm. _Fuck, whatever, I'll just suck it up._

Ten minutes later, Korra found herself in front of the building that housed Asami's apartment. One hand was jammed into her pocket, the other nursing the second cigarette from her brief walk. Korra took a moment to collect her own thoughts. She'd be lying to herself if Korra didn't admit she was nervous. It had been a long time since Korra had even remotely be interested in anybody, or dated for that matter. She took a hard inhale on her cigarette again and let the smoke settle within her lungs, holding her breath. _Aren't there rules? What do I say? Do I say anything? Am I the fork or the spoon?_

The thoughts swimming through her head separated Korra from reality. She didn't head the door crack open or the sound of heels striking. Nor did Korra notice that slight lavender scent that crept closer until a voice whispered next to her ear and sent a strangely delightful shiver down her spine. "Penguins?"

Korra almost simultaneously inhaled the rest of her cigarette and stopped breathing entirely. A light chuckle followed and it took a few moments of respiratory recovery before she turned around and was met with a sight Korra thought she was prepared for, but truly wasn't. A person really, rather than a sight. And it was ridiculous to Korra that as many times as she had seen and interacted with Asami, the initial feeling never changed. It was hushed and very simple, but at the same time loud and demanding and fiery. Ebony hair framed piercing green eyes, black tights under a pleated equally black skirt that was fucking _short_ but Korra was not about to complain, and a….baseball tee with _Scorpion? She plays Mortal Kombat with Scorpion? How cliché are we right now…and_ _okay I've been staring for too long._

Asami had a way of making casual still elegant. She was completely able of being over the top but the way she was this evening was quiet and reserved. And still held a small amount of signature intimidation. Korra knew by now it wasn't directed at her but Asami's intimidation was for herself, a barrier. Korra hoped she would experience who the person was beyond the barrier, but for now the woodworker was content with what Asami was comfortable with.

Korra snorted and crossed her arms. "Okay you're going to antagonize me over penguins but you show up decked out like we're about to go to a convention."

"And what if we were?"

Korra's jaw dropped slightly. "I mean. That'd be cool too…I'm a nerd. And if you're a nerd that's cool…yeah nerds are cool. Conventions are cool."

The lavender scent grew slightly in strength when Asami moved closer. "Well I don't have that planned, sorry," She give a small smile in response. "But maybe another day."

The idea that Asami considered future plans… _or was she alluding to dates…_ an actual thing was charming. "Okay so I'm really bad at planning anything close to social. And I don't work well under pressure. And I'm simple and boring. Thus, after hours and hours and more hours of contemplating all I thought of was Beifong's?" Korra had made the mistake of asking Bolin for advice, with his response being _"Well, I think what got me Opal was my awesome Hawaiian shirt and the fact that I fell into a fountain on our first date."_ Yeah. Not attempting either of those. Except she now just realized she was wearing something just as close to a Hawaiian shirt.

Shit. _Just fall into a fountain and get the girl, right?_

"The restaurant?"

"Yeah is that okay? You know it?"

Asami chuckled and started to turn in the direction of the restaurant. "Remember, I have a Beifong as a best friend."

Before Korra really had a chance at a response, a pressure pulled her in the same direction Asami was going. A delicate pull had made contact with her wrist and it took the longest of seconds of her life before Korra fully internalized that it was Asami's fingers snaking in-between hers. It was warm and slight and made Korra feel like she was about to throw up all of her insides and _Korra fucking quit it she's just holding your hand._

The grip around her own tightened slightly, Korra could feel how soft Asami's hands were in contrast to her own. "Korra, please understand that nothing is boring about you, and your 'simple' is still interesting to me." She gave another small reassuring squeeze to Korra's hand in unison with a quiet smile of understanding. The words the tanned woman heard were ones she couldn't find a response to, so she only nodded and returned a smile back.

The distance to the restaurant really wasn't that far, but it felt extremely short due to the conversation. Korra couldn't help but bring up that Scorpion was a chump, with the darker haired woman biting back with a challenge in the form of "1v1 me, scrub" which Korra found highly amusing coming from a woman of such cachet.

Beifong's was surprisingly quiet, considering it was a Friday evening and the place was usually bursting to the seams. Upon entering, Korra was met with a few familiar faces of patrons seated and enjoying that quiet. Except the silence didn't last very long.

"Ah Twinkle Toes, glad of you to finally show your face around here again!"

Korra let out a groan she meant to internalize. She loathed that nickname. "Please Toph, don't embarrass me." Short, blunt, and basically _ancient_ , Toph owned the restaurant much to Korra's surprise. Getting to know the old blind fart led her to believe the restaurant business was too quiet for a woman of her personality. She half expected to see her as a manager for wrestlers, front row watching beefcakes toss each other for laughs.

At the sound of her response, a young man with dark short hair popped his head out from behind the counter in the kitchen. His eyes lit up at the sight of the two new guests. "Korra!"

Another man shot his head out right next to the first, the both of them looking exactly identical. "And Asami?!"

Asami let out a small giggle in response, releasing Korra's hand from her grasp. The absence of the small amount of warmth shot a slight disappointment through Korra. "Hello Wei and Wing. Korra, I honestly didn't know that you knew about this place, let alone everybody knew you personally. It's a surprise I haven't seen you here before."

Toph's milky eyes squinted from her face lifting into a laugh. "Ah Asami, I've known Korra since she was a pudgy little flea with a single front tooth, running around trying to look under girl's skirts."

 _Oh my fucking god._

All Korra could do was close her eyes and take in the slowest of breaths. She knew her face was as blank as possible, lips pursued into an almost non-existent line. Korra absolutely loved Toph but _fucking Christ_ did she pick the best times to decide to be cheeky.

An audible laugh could be heard from the woman next to her, and cracking an eye open revealed a wide grin on Asami's face. "Ah, well, then it seems I've dressed appropriately for the occasion then."

 _Spirits save me from this woman._

It felt as almost Asami knew exactly how to fluster the woodworker, and was taking full advantage. In all honestly it wasn't difficult, all it takes is a cute girl to say some slightly less-than conservative comments and Korra's probably going to stumble around her words. But Asami was on a level so much higher than simply a cute girl with less-than conservative comments. And at this rate, she just may in fact destroy Korra completely.

Wei and Wing came rushing out the back of the restaurant, leading the two women to a booth and dropped waters on the table before Korra really had time to recover. Wei scurried back to return with silverware rolled into deep green napkins. "No time to waste, our favorite guests! Where is Bolin and Opal?"

The woodworker rested tan arms on the table between the two. "Actually it's just us today."

The twins turned to look at each other and shared a brief silent understanding, looking back at the seated pair with grins before scurrying off yet again and shouting in unison behind them. "Okay we'll be right back with your food!"

It took a moment for Asami to absorb the short events that led them to their seats, and she stole a glance at Korra. "So…you order the same thing when you come here I'm guessing?"

"It sounds like you do too. Although you may not be ready for the amount of food they are about to bring me." A toothy grin came with the response.

Asami's settled a soft gaze over Korra's own, and seemed to break herself out of a muse after a moment. She took a breath in and released it slower. "Alright Korra, I normally do this…but if you have any questions you are free to ask."

A single eyebrow raised at the prospect. "Any question? Free of charge?"

The other woman gave a tiny nod. Korra could only imagine how uncomfortable that made Asami feel. To allow someone to ask anything of her, dropping all of her guard and letting herself become vulnerable. There was a lot of power in Korra's hands right now. Asami's eyes gave a plea, as if she was asking to end the moment quickly and be given her barriers back. Korra wouldn't let her suffer any longer than she wanted. "Alright, your answer determines if we can ever talk again. Pineapple on pizza, yes or no?

Her expression turned into a slight scowl, but a smile still turned the corners of her lips. "Any question and you pick…that?" Korra responded with an 'I'm still waiting' countenance and Asami seemed to catch the hint. "Korra…please be rational. Pineapple on pizza is disgusting."

Hands were thrown into the air and Korra's expression exaggerated. "Okay, check please! I'm not even going to trick you with the 'I need to use the restroom' line, I gotta go." Korra smiled and they both shared a small laugh before a quiet settled between them. "Alright, Miss Future Industries, fair is fair. Now you can ask me anything."

The green eyes that set on her were calculating, methodical in the way she plotted her next words. Korra felt vulnerable in the way that Asami probably did, but there was something welcoming about it. "Ketchup or mustard?"

"…Seriously?"

Asami let out a laugh at Korra's confusion. "Fair is fair, right?"

From the corner of her sight, Korra saw Wei and Wing starting to heap plates onto serving trays. That was honestly the quickest time for Korra to receive food in this place ever. "I'll have you know I smother everything in ranch, actually."

All Asami could manage in reply was an amiable chuckle paired with one of those perfect eyebrows arching before the Beifong twins dumped plates to the table. The amount of plates and bowls Korra had received were quite normal for her, meats and soups and noodles galore. But clearly Asami was surprised at the extent. "Korra can you seriously eat that much? You have probably four times as much as I got."

Flashing another wide grin with a fork in her hand, eyebrows waggled in the best way she could muster. "Watch me, princess"

The remainder of their time was spent trading trivial questions, learning the small and specific things about the other person. Between mouthfuls, Korra was pleased to learn the things of Asami that definitely wasn't something a fellow business tycoon would know. Or appreciate. Like the fact that the thing Asami valued more than working was sitting in sweatpants binge watching Netflix sci-fi tv shows ( _Lost_ being her favorite with _Terra Nova_ in the queue) while eating way too many hot fries to be healthy. Or that she had Master tier status in League of Legends even with the workload. And truth be told, Asami admitted to playing League during a few business phone conferences in an attempt to keep from becoming bored within three minutes. There were small things and maybe a few slightly bigger things but they all little pieces of the enigma that was Asami. Korra was happy to learn the pieces and allow Asami her own time to decide their discovery.

Sure enough, the woodworker proved her ability to eat the ridiculous amount of food. Korra insisted she took care of the bill, considering majority of it she ate completely by herself anyways. Asami had no objections but still threw down a generous tip for the twins, they definitely deserved it. Korra knew anybody serving her copious amounts of food requests and bussing the amount of dishes from her alone was worth a due compensation. The standard "fifteen percent of your bill" gratuity rule was bullshit across the board anyways.

They exchanged parting pleasantries with the staff before exiting. Korra was thankful that Toph seemed to stop any more embarrassing comments from leaving her mouth, and stepped outside into cool evening air. It was around 7:30 pm, not late enough for the sunlight to settle just yet. Korra pushed her hands into her pockets, turning towards Asami. "Okay so ready to show me up with part two?"

The paler woman tilted her head and smiled, clearly entertained. "My plan isn't…better. Just a different approach." Twice in that evening she found Asami pulling at her wrist again as she turned down the street, freeing her hand from a jean pocket and filling it with the soft warmth of her skin. This walk was very different than the first, it was soundless. But Korra wasn't filled with the sense of an awkward quiet, the atmosphere between the two was more placid rather than uncomfortable. It was reassuring to Korra that she could exist around Asami without the constant need of being entertained in some way. That they were comfortable with each other still in silence.

The journey brought the two at the front doors of a large skyscraper, plastered with the Future Industries logo. Korra couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "You really know how to treat a girl, bring her to your job on a date, right?"

The hand inside of her own let go, turned into a fist to give a surprisingly hard punch to the arm. She eyed Korra with a suspicious grin, moving up to the unnecessarily large glass front doors to swipe a keycard on an access panel. Entering the lobby Asami led the pair past the reception desk but not before catching the keen eye of a discreet girl behind the counter. "Miss Sato, you're guest is not authorized to go beyond the lobby."

The sound of a familiar voice caused Korra's eyes to drag over, meeting a younger woman adorned with thick blue arrow tattoos on her hands and chin length brown hair. "Jinora! You work here?"

The small interaction seemed to made Asami chuckle a little. "Jinora is my intern, but unlike most other businesses I actually pay her. I have her cycling through almost every job here, Spirts know she can handle it as intelligent as she is."

Jinora seemed to be gathering her belongings, and shot Korra a look. A smile so small Korra almost missed it as it appeared on Jinora's face. "I won't keep you any longer, Good evening, Miss Sato."

There was a soft patter of footfalls as Jinora exited the lobby and out the large doors the other two came in. A phone whipped instantly from her purse and few up to Jinora's face in the distance. And Korra swore she heard "Beifong" but it just as easily could have been "hey mom".

By the time Korra turned back, Asami was already waiting by an elevator door. The pull the CEO emitted over Korra was extremely magnetic, everything about her was just entirely alluring. The way she moved through the Future Industries building, even outside of business formal attire, was commanding and confident. Korra couldn't help but notice such a slight change in demeanor, the fact that at her own home or through the coffee shop or even The Benchdog, Asami seemed to take on a small calmness.

Another swipe of a keycard and the elevator opened for the two women. A short ride and a small smile from Asami's lips later and they were in a garage full of cars Korra would probably classify as expensive. The woodworker knew little to nothing about cars so what exactly the difference was, she couldn't say. Some were very obviously flashy, others were very sleek and simple by Korra's standards. She was led to a small two seater sports car, a deep maroon color that would have looked black at a first glance. Raven hair led her to the passenger's side and a pale hand reached for the handle, opening the door and presenting the interior to Korra.

An eyebrow shot up at the gesture and Korra slid wordlessly into the seat, door following behind her. The car's interior was as simple as the outside, same color and very aesthetically pleasing to the woodworker's design mind. A rustle to her left and a door shutting sealed the car, leaving Korra trapped inside with a light, pleasing scent of a mixture of new car and lavender passing through her mind.

A rumble passed through her chest following the start of the engine and Korra's curiosity was about spent. "Alright Sato, what's your mysterious plan? Because right now it's looking like kidnapping to me."

A toss of hair came in response and Asami shot an almost ardent flash of eyes, smirks pulling on red lips. "I have a feeling you're not exactly opposed to that option."

Those green eyes sunk almost into Korra's soul, and she had to tell herself to take a breath back into her body. She was getting bolder with her antics. Korra's own blue eyes widened just the slightest before her mouth opened to respond, but Asami seemed to catch the language immediately. A soft finger shot up to lightly press against Korra's mouth, stopping any word before it came tumbling out. The small movement was unexpected and slightly shocking. It took almost everything Korra mentally had to stop herself from opening her mouth back up in response to the pressure.

"Patience, Korra."

Asami knew the tanned woman was caught off guard and she still was using that to her advantage. The vehicle began to move towards the garage exit at what seemed like an agonizingly slow pace, leaving her own name from Asami's tongue echoing through Korra's skull.

* * *

There was something so liberating about sitting behind two tons of power, all of that under complete control and freely choosing what to do with it. Asami was used to relinquishing some authority within her company, but being behind the wheel gave her control of every aspect and where it took her. Watching the ground get sucked under her vehicle never got old and driving just put her in a pleasing trance. It was a small personal freedom she allowed herself to have.

What surprised Asami the most is how much she found herself enjoying simplicity and Korra had a way of making anything seem interesting. Of course, putting the pressure on the other woman for deciding a part of the day was not spur of the moment. It was that Korra still treated her like a normal person, and this was still a normal date. Previous experience had shown that people were under the impression Asami Sato, Future Industries CEO, required the crème de la crème of everything; dinner, gifts, manners, the cliché rich society date in order to win her over. But it was clear that's not the first thing Korra thought in the situation and it felt like a sigh of relief. She wanted so badly for someone to understand that Asami enjoyed sitting around in sweatpants eating Chinese food as a date as much as anything else, and it seemed she finally met someone who did.

Korra was decently quiet for last twenty minutes, but she did perk up slightly to the sight of tall chain-link fence, topped in barbed wired. "Okay Asami, this definitely looks like the start of prison." She eyeballed a guard through the windshield as Asami guided her vehicle to a gate.

Asami couldn't bring herself to give a response, Korra's reactions were too amusing to end now. The driver's window rolled down and she turned to look at the man approaching her door.

"Miss Sato, pleasure to see you! It feels like it's been longer than usual since you've come through?"

The guard was of medium height, a warmness to his eyes and a casual flair about his body language. "Hello, Ethan. The Jedi Council has been keeping me at work longer than usual. But how is your daughter? Did you get the results back yet?"

His face dropped a little. "Ah not yet, they come back next week. Her symptoms seem pretty broad, so we're hoping it stays just an allergic reaction like they're thinking." His smile returned, smaller than the first time though and not quite reaching his eyes. "You have fun, Miss Sato."

The gate began to slide open, and Korra looked to Asami for answers. She didn't need to use words for Asami to know her curiosity was killing her. "Ethan is one of the guards that patrols around here, this is a private airfield I've purchased through the company. He's working with me since before his three year old daughter was born, and she came down very ill last week." Asami shrugged slightly as she pulled the car adjacent to a large hangar. "I make a point to check in on him and his family."

Whatever Korra was thinking, she didn't say outside. She merely gave a sort of endearing expression and didn't pressure Asami for any more details on the matter. With the car halted and turned off they both opened the door, the steel shelter towering about four stories above them. "Airfield. Planes? Kidnapping, most definitely."

Asami knew the other woman said such things just to fill the air, it seems Korra couldn't handle surprises whatsoever. Rather than buying into her antics she merely left Korra with a quick glance before leading her to the side door. Giving the woodworker nothing but a quiet air was building up that curiosity, and Asami knew it was silently driving her crazy. Definitely not entirely silently though, it showed very much on Korra's face.

The door was biometrics, an even more added security than a simple keycard. A loud click announced the door was open after a thumb and eye scan. Nothing was said as she pulled the door open, an eyebrow raising in an inviting stare toward Korra. Slight inquisition was splayed across her face, but nonetheless entered with Asami right on her heels. It took only a moment for Korra to stop quite quickly at the sight of the interior.

Asami's entire personal life was in this hangar. All of the things she loved and spilled her effort into and was so passionate about existed here. The first thing that always greeted Asami upon walking in was the smell of metal and grease, like a homely mechanics shop that a kid would visit and remember fondly in the future. The warehouse was entirely open, the ceilings reaching high over the contents and left the space so open to breathe. The edges and air between was a network of catwalks and doors, with bottom level was full of projects all of her own affection. Pretty much anything with an engine, Asami needed to get her hands on. Fully assembled as well as bare bone cars, bikes that were basically nothing but a frame and an engine, even just single motors hanging from hoists. Smaller machine parts covered probably too many work benches. Tools littered everywhere, blueprints, a few laptops, and empty pizza boxes adorned the work space.

It was all hers and hers alone, and it was home.

Korra's expression was a mixture of curiosity and confusion. It took long moment for the woodworker to take everything in before she spoke. "Okay so not a plane. What is all this exactly?"

"Remember that night we went for coffee? When I told you I build things too?" She was given a slight nod, and Asami could tell Korra hadn't completely connected the dots yet. It was sort of cute, as obvious as this scenario was. She waved her hand around the various objects in the area. "Mechanical engineer. Meet all of my projects."

Korra took a glance back over to the work area and turned to Asami, an unimpressed look on her face. She crossed her arms and Asami couldn't help but notice the way the muscles in her forearms rippled until such a trivial movement. It caught a breath in her throat and the engineer mentally berated herself for responding to something so basic. But yet it affected her the same way every time it happened. "I mean when you said you build stuff I was imagining of like Legos."

It only took but a moment to pass through the pair before Korra was cracking a smile and Asami was punching her in the shoulder, solid against her fist yet again. She couldn't help but let a smile form on her face in response and reached to remove Korra's hand from her defensive posture, pulling the tanned woman over to a lift. Asami punched a few buttons on a keypad and the lift pushed them vertically to those catwalks above.

An oh-so familiar door was in her line of sight, and Asami felt as if she should be riddled with anxiety about this entire idea. But there was no anxiety waiting for her as she pulled Korra behind her and pushed the door open, Asami hadn't felt such calmness in a while.

The feeling was…so refreshing.

The space beyond the door could be compared to a studio apartment. A kitchen, a bed, a bathroom, a workspace. But the contrast that this space held in comparison to Asami's apartment in the city was quite apparent. Not only did it reflect the informal mess of her workspace out on the warehouse floor, but it almost amplified it. Grease smudged clothes were thrown haphazardly around, papers full of blueprints and prototype drawings covered every surface Asami had, and the amount of empty or half-full energy drink cans was almost embarrassing.

It was messy and unappealing and the deepest part of Asami that she let no one see.

Until Korra, of course.

A short silence hung between them as Korra took the area in, eyes darting to different spots and Asami quickly decided now was the time for her to speak. "I know this is unorthodox for a date, I suppose. But this is what you could call my true home. This entire hangar. Where I come to rest, if working my brain to mush on new designs is what you call rest." For the first time she did feel a sort of nervousness kick in and her hands were brought together instinctively in front of her, fingers lacing together in quiet unease. "When I feel too stressed, or anxious, I'll take a weekend and come here and do things that I want to do. For myself, and not anybody else. No high expectations or disappointments. Just me and the quiet and this oversized garage."

It took another short silence between the two before Korra finally looked away from the small living space and to Asami's gaze. The blue eyes that met hers were absolutely piercing, eager and full of fascination. And the fact that another person washere, in _her_ space actually intimidated some part of Asami's confidence. Her voice became quiet, and Asami almost didn't hear it herself. "I've…never actually brought anybody here."

Worry became the woodworker's expression. "Am I intruding? By being here?"

In reality, this space was made for Asami and Asami only, and by that context Korra was a huge intrusion in that sacred type of atmosphere. But it was also the kind of atmosphere that she had full dictation over, and did whatever she wanted to do with it. Now was no different in that definition. "No. I wanted to bring you here. You have treated me in exactly the way nobody ever has, and you haven't asked for anything in return. You don't see me as Asami Sato, Future Industries CEO. Just Asami. And I wanted to share the real, deep down version of myself that you could only experience and understand here."

She took a small breath and lifted her stare to meet such a deep blue focus into her. There were probably other things Asami was going kept saying, but the way Korra looked at her caused her breath to catch and her skin to flush and everything she thought about sort of dissipate. It was almost as if she forgot how to god damn breathe by just a guise, that look flashing up and down and Asami unable to track anything but the color of the sky boring into her. It only took the briefest moment for her to tear her gaze away and glance slightly down at the tanned and probably extremely soft lips of the other woman. And Asami wasn't interested in anything but wanting that experience of how exactly soft.

The fleeting stare moved quickly back up to meet the deepest color she had seen in those eyes, and a moment later her sense of smell was filled only by pine and a soft sweetness of something else mixed in. A warm hand on her jaw and a slight pressure on her hip pulled Asami into a kiss to lips as soft as she imagined. It was sincere and decorous and almost conservative, as if Korra was in untested waters and was not sure about sinking in deeper. But it only took but a few moments for Asami to fall in herself and decide that it was far from enough. She wanted it louder, bolder, crushing even.

She needed it to be pushed.

A hand snaked upwards and over the back of Korra's neck, climbing into short hair and gripping to pull her in deeper. Asami hardly noticed her other hand had gripped the front collar of that fucking adorable penguin shirt, feeling heat radiate from the other woman. And as Asami dragged that kiss deeper into those waters she felt Korra falter, but for a moment barely noticeable. It quickly turned open, hot, bodies pressed overwhelming close, hands clutching to whatever they could take hold to. The hand that previously ghosted her jaw had moved to seize a fist full of Asami's dark hair, long strands wrapping fingers against the nape of her neck. All it took was for Asami's own hands sliding under the navy fabric, _finally_ scraping nails against abdominals to cause the fist in her hair to tighten, her own breath hitching, pulling Asami away just enough for the other set of lips to leave traces of heat across her jawline before settling on the muscle right behind her earlobe.

She swore Korra's body was on fire, every part of her that touched skin was searing. Asami would be mildly concerned about the temperature if she wasn't so incredibly turned on at that moment.

There was a brief, sliver of a moment that Asami found and took to let go and draw back from the other form. Part of her shouted to go back, lecturing herself on why Asami backed away in the first place. The other part relishing in the sight of a very flustered and frustrated woodworker. The opposite set of eyes tearing into her was fervent but her body remained where she stood, deciding not to follow Asami's.

Her breath was uncontrolled, her pulse racing, she couldn't help but notice the lingering of a sappy wood scent and the unfamiliar yet pleasing taste on her lips. And it took a long moment before Asami spoke, a smile never leaving her face. "You've got…em. Lipstick." The deep crimson shade she always wore was all over the woman.

Korra didn't seem to be fazed, throwing hands on her hips in a stance of defiance. "Alright what the hell?"

Frankly, Asami was sort of questioning her own motives as well. She could have easily lost any and all control, and that's where she knew the logic powered by fear kicked it. The loss of control, Korra, the intensity of it all. She wanted so badly to allow herself to lose it, but old habits die hard and she wasn't ready to let go of that charge quite yet. Of course, that's a fact that Korra didn't need to know. "I'll have you know I don't kiss on the first date."

A snicker was returned and Korra motioned to both of them. "My face, and yours, says otherwise."

If she stayed in such a close proximity any longer, Asami knew she wouldn't have stopped herself from diving back in. Yes, she wanted that unhindered feeling so badly, but she didn't feel quite ready for it yet. So all she did in response was give a shameless smirk and lead the other back into the larger portion of the warehouse.

The other woman had made a small attempt to remove any lipstick visible but of course missed a few spots. And every time Asami saw a ghost of the crimson make-up her body flared in response. The rest of the hours were questions from Korra about how she would come up with ideas or how things Asami built worked. Asami knew Korra had absolutely no knowledge of mechanical workings, considering their trades required different sets of know-how. But what she did know was that Korra was asking simply for an excuse to listen to Asami talk, and it was thrilling to know someone was content on just listening to her passions. Sharing her sacred space with another person, hearing words ring out through the air was such a strange thing for Asami to experience. And she loved every minute of it. Through the questions, she made the discovery that the woodworker was an avid motorcycle rider, though her move to the city caused the bike to stay behind south.

"So you're telling me that you rode bikes in the south, where it snows? Regularly?"

Korra shrugged, she was sitting on a work stool with an ankle propped over the other knee. "Hey, it doesn't snow _all_ year."

"What kind was it?"

"A Ducati Monster 1100."

An idea pushed through Asami's mind at the information. She picked herself up from her own stool and moved over to a metal box, full of different kinds of keys hanging on hooks. It took but a moment to find the one her eyes were searching for, and she tossed it to a surprised Korra. "I didn't necessarily peg you as a Ducati rider."

Asami's ears were filled with the sound of a simple laugh. "I have a Honda CB too if it makes you feel any better. What're the keys for?"

She took a different set of keys for herself and moved back to the elevator lift they had been on earlier, pointing to a different area of the warehouse. "Matte black. Short rear fender, white seat. I'll be back."

Blue eyes lit up upon understanding what she mean, and Korra scurried off like a little kid in the direction of the bike. Asami knew it wouldn't long for Korra to find it, she heard the engine start up before she even got off the lift and into her studio to change from the tights and skirt to a set of normal jeans and boots. From a previous ill-thought out experience, riding motorcycles in skirts was not the greatest idea. It took a moment to find her helmet considering it was buried under Chinese boxes and take out bags, and back out on the work floor. She hit the button to open the huge hangar doors, sunlight and a light breeze rolling through as she moved the car they drove to this location into the building.

Asami found Korra a moment later among a line of motorcycles, one of the helmets hung off the back wall gripped in her hands. To say the woodworker seemed excited was an understatement. There was a singular bike set off from the others, and that was the one Asami had ended up choosing. Korra seemed to take a notice at the difference. "What is that? I haven't seen a model like that before."

A small amount of pride built up in Asami at the thought of the bike. "It's a Future Industries prototype. I've got a line of cars, why not start one of motorcycles? Follow me back?" Korra simply smiled and nodded in response, donning the head gear.

Frankly, the fact that Asami didn't have to drive them both back was relieving. She couldn't say the CEO could handle a car ride with the other woman. Asami knew tension when she saw it and there was _plenty_ of tangible tension. Once they were out on the road, the trip back seemed horribly short. The feeling of driving enclosed in a car versus being completely exposed to the elements on two wheels was so different, Asami had to admit she loved the adrenaline of a motorcycle more than anything. Korra was well indeed an experienced rider, but Asami could tell it had been a minute since she took a bike out. The shifts up and down the gears were only slightly too early, and honestly anybody else probably wouldn't have noticed. A thirty minute trip felt like five and they were already back at the garage in Future Industries, pushing out kickstands and leaving helmets on the machines.

By the time they arrived back to the city sidewalks outside the skyscraper, the sky was a hushed darkness and the buildings littered with quiet lights. Asami pulled her phone from a pocket, looking at the digits telling her it was 1:43 am. It was later than she thought. Korra had been quiet for majority of the time since left garage for the night. "Asami, would you mind if I walked you home?"

The request didn't come as a surprise but it still gripped her chest tightly. She really didn't want the time to end, the two had spent the entire day together without any interruptions from work or Opal. _Shit, I forgot about Opal._ The Beifong woman was going to have a field day with the interrogations tomorrow if she wasn't already staked out in Asami's apartment, eagerly waiting. But she nodded in agreement anyways.

The time was silent between the two on the quite familiar route back home. It was a short one, and Asami knew the pace of their walk was only acting to prolong the time. It didn't take long for a familiar hand to grasp her own, Korra's own initiation of their fingers threading together this time. It was comforting, just like the rest of the woodworker was. "Korra I had a really nice time. And I mean like I can't remember the last time I did something like this I enjoyed so much. So thank you."

The hand against her own gripped slightly more firmly in affirmation. "Even simple dinner dates to restaurants you've been to before?"

She laughed, leaning slightly enough into Korra as they walked for the other woman to feel the pressure. "Yes, Korra. Anything with you is enjoyable."

Their silence returned to last the few short moments it took to reach Asami's apartment building. Korra turned to face her with those deep blue eyes and she couldn't say she really had seen anybody more beautiful. But it was Korra to speak first before the pale skinned woman could get a word in. "Thank you for trusting me. I know how hard it probably was for you to bring me to your space, how vulnerable you must've been feeling. So. Thank you."

The woodworker gave such a soft and sincere smile that it almost broke Asami. The silence hung between the two, permeating the air thick with a type of want that was experienced earlier in the day. It grew to a point where Asami could barely notice the fact that the space between the two had been gradually decreasing, barely noticed that her hands were back gripping that fucking penguin shirt once more, barely noticed a thumb tracing up her temple to push aside dark hair. All of her attention was set in the eyes across from hers, noticing the slight flickered movement from left to right as Korra moved her gaze from one eye to the next. It wasn't until they were scarce inches apart that Asami caught the chase forward Korra had started with a single finger to her lips, repeating the same actions from the car earlier and effectively blocking her.

"Remember Korra, I don't kiss on the first date."

The engineer could tell Korra was seething on the inside, full of pent up frustration but held an expression full of respect still, even laced with humor. She didn't blame her, Asami keeping up the tease with Korra was the only thing keeping herself in line. But Asami wasn't sure how much longer she could stick it out.

The hand on her collar feathered its way up a tan neck and settling softly to grasp Korra's jaw, pulling her in slightly as Asami placed her lips to the corner of Korra's smirking mouth. It was a chaste kiss, brief, light before she finally pulled away for good.

"Goodnight, Korra."

She turned in the darkness, moving up the few steps to the door guarding the apartment building. Asami could feel the blue eyes boring into her back but she couldn't allow herself the moment to turn around, even slightly, to meet them. It would surely break everything she'd built up to this point. It wasn't until she was all the way up the flights upstairs to her apartment, turning the key in a lock, pushing the door open, sinking down onto the suede material of her couch that she let out a breath Asami had been holding the entire trip up. She thought as though her skin was burning, her head swam, and a hollow pit of fear settled in the bottom of her stomach.

It was a pit of fear fueled by the fact that Asami was falling hard, fast.

And every part of it was _fucking exciting_ to her.


	8. Chapter 8

Her fist clenched in a subconscious flex before Korra grasped the edge of a barrel full of sawdust. A small burst of black dust shot up in the air from the action, and she lugged the barrel up and over her smaller form into a dust dumpster. Korra couldn't help but let out a small grumble from the sheer weight, some things about maintaining her workspace were definitely physically taxing. She started to think how much more work she could do with a shop assistant.

Not that Korra wasn't getting anything done. Frankly, she was working herself to the bone in these past two weeks. It was the only thing she could do to stop herself from constantly thinking a certain engineer who was currently across the globe somewhere off the grid with no phone coverage. She left out a frustrated breath through her respirator at the thought. It was one thing to be left high and dry after a roller coaster of a date they had, but Asami jumping around three different countries in dead zones working out unexpected business deals for two weeks straight takes the cake.

Korra did whatever she could possibly think of in order to make the time pass by and ended up expediting every single commission piece she had on the books. She ended up finishing four projects and pushed the time frame up on three others. Bolin berated her for it too, she hardly stopped to eat or sleep and was only surviving from the cheap tacos and cigarettes the cheery faced man dropped off when he came in to work. Bolin knew that when Korra was in a mindless grind there was no getting her out until she was completely spent.

The safety glasses were pushed back to her eyes and Korra walked inside, passing through into a sanding booth surrounded by plastic strip curtains. 'The Sanding Shack' as Bolin liked to call it. About a twelve by twelve space with a table in the middle and ventilation fans at the back, the strips keeping dust away from the rest of the work space in the building. Korra was nearing the final stages of the Future Industries construction and a secret part of her really wanted to complete it before Asami got back, but she wasn't sure if it was going to pan out. With the schedule she set for herself, Korra would have construction and majority of finish coats done in two days. Maybe. After that it's just kicking back on her ass waiting for it to off-gas and fully dry.

Between the sander, ventilation behind her, and Foo Fighters blaring through her headphones, Korra was oblivious to the call she was receiving on her phone until Bolin caught her attention, cell in hand. "You missed your call because you're too busy destroying your sanity in here."

Korra snorted in response, removing her glasses and mask. "If it's important they'll leave a voicemail. And if it's not a saved number then I really don't care." She knew her face was probably outlined in black dust at this point.

Her friend chuckled at the sight and lightly placed Korra's phone in front of her, spinning on his heel with a whistle as Bolin pushed aside the plastic strips to leave. It still illuminated the missed call, the caller ID causing Korra to rip her headphones off and step back outside into the cool air. Fishing a cigarette out, Korra hit redial on the contact she had been eagerly waiting on for so long. She barely had enough time to light her smoke before the other end picked up.

" _And here I almost thought you were too busy for me."_

The woodworker had to take a moment to suck in a breath at the sound. It was strange not hearing that voice for two weeks. But now that she heard it again Korra had to wonder how strange the first twenty-five years of her life was without knowing Asami. They always say you can't miss something that's not there, but time is a funny concept.

Korra absentmindedly scraped her shoe against the ground, dragging a rock under it. "Too busy, yes. For you, no."

" _Ah, am I distracting you?"_

"No." She responded almost a little too quickly, like she was trying to defend herself for some reason. "To be honest I've been distracting myself from you."

" _Oh?"_

There was a moment's pause as Korra mentally criticized herself for maybe being a little too honest.

" _Miss me already?"_

She could practically hear Asami smile through the call, Korra couldn't help but let a small laugh past her lips. It was one thing to think about it and one to admit it, and Korra really tried to not give it a lot of thought during the passing time. But she was left in an unsure silence on how to respond properly.

" _Well if we're being frank, I missed you. Probably way more than I should have."_

And there it was, the cute shit. It felt like something took hold of her insides and just squeezed, like her body was too small for the pressure inside and it just sat in her throat. It was almost like a sickness. A sickness that Korra tried so hard to stifle down but couldn't help but relish in the fact that it was there. It was the same type of feeling as a free-fall, and that was probably what she was doing in theory. Falling down a pleasantly dark hole. But the edges was always laced with fear.

" _Korra?"_

A blink and she was back to dragging on her cigarette. "When will you be back in town?"

" _Well, I actually just landed. I've just been waiting for the luggage to be loaded in the car."_

Korra tried to imagine how much luggage that actually was. "Wow, I'm surprised I didn't hear the news from Opal herself, blowing up all our phones. She's been pathetic without you here."

A chortle came through the speaker, no less charming than it usually sounded. _"Truth be told I called you first. Don't tell her that though."_

It was Korra's turn to grin inwardly, imagining the reaction of Opal. "Hey….so she's probably going to bring it up anyways, but she's been getting everybody together to go out on Friday to 'celebrate the return of the Queen'. If you uh, want to go."

" _Knowing Opal, I'm expected to be there."_

Korra pulled her phone away from her ear momentarily, cigarette loosely clutched between two fingers. The date on the screen confirmed Friday was two days away. She figured that was enough time. The phone went back to lightly pressing to the side of her face. "But I guess now that I told you, sound surprised when she mentions it please. Otherwise the cat is out of the bag that I talked to you first."

" _I'm not really sure what welcome back party you're talking about."_ Korra could hear the sound of low voices on the other end of the call, loud enough in the background to be noticed but far away enough to not be understood. A tired sigh came in response and Asami spoke in a sad voice. _"Alright I've got to go, after being with investors for two weeks you'd think they'd leave me alone but no."_

"I can't imagine why, can't be that cute smile or your charming laugh or those fucking hot ass glasses you wear."

" _Korra I don't wear glasses at work."_

"Well if you can't get rid of them now then don't put the glasses on."

Another laugh. It was never going to get old to hear. _"I really have to go. I'll see you on Friday then."_

The woodworker was left grinning into her phone well after the call went silent, until the spent ash and hot cherry from her forgotten cigarette singed fingers.

It took four snooze alarms and the wet tongue of Naga on her face to finally bring Korra out from the sleep coma she had essentially been in. With the notion that she had two days until she saw that dark haired woman again, Korra dug deep from who knows where and kicked her work into overdrive. The Future Industries commission was completed, way waaay ahead of schedule. She spent the last amount of her time crating the beast up for transport, and finally allowed herself the first few hours of sleep in the last forty-eight.

After breaking her personal record of the amount of pancakes ate in one sitting (which previously was twenty-four), Korra found herself standing outside a terribly large Future Industries skyscraper with the crate dubbed as "Big Bitch" (by Opal), Bolin, and, well. Opal.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

The shorter woman let out a light scoff, almost as she was offended. "Korra, who are you talking to? Yes. I have a best friend quality keycard. And Asami is in a meeting for…" a quick glance at a green colored watch caused the pause, "…the next hour and a half. Plenty of time?"

She vaulted ahead before Korra even had a chance at a response. The crate beside her moved the same path as Bolin pushed on, shrugging in reply. Familiar glass doors opened wide enough to let the group through and Korra was met with a quick glance from Jinora at the desk. She only had time to give a small wave, returning to the phone locked between her ear and her shoulder. Opal had already made it to the elevator, which also was large enough to fit Big Bitch inside with enough room for probably ten more people. The elevator wall panel held way too many buttons for way too many floors, one particular button with a gear printed over it lit up as Opal selected it after swiping her card over a magnetic pad.

A quizzical expression fell over Korra's face. "What's the gear mean?"

"It's Asami's office. But she had the foresight to make it seem like a maintenance selection so people don't try to bug her." The pressure weighed on the group as they started moved up. "Joke's on her because I use this thing 24/7."

The doors opened after a short trip to a smaller room, lines inset into the wall alluded to a doorway but there didn't exist any type of visible handles or mechanism to open it with. Kinda eerie. It wasn't until Opal waved her hand over a section that a panel lit up and gave a beep after it read her palm placed over it. The entryway opened with a small hiss in response. Korra had to remind herself that Asami did own a technology corporation and not a spaceship.

Asami's office was large. She had seen it in photos through the commission packet, Korra felt it was necessary in the design of her furniture to consider the space it existed within. But it was way larger than Korra had anticipated. The décor was basically all black, but the fact that there weren't walls, rather all glass windows looking over the city, brought a little life into the space. Having glass panels as walls was probably what increased the feeling of how spacious it was. Furniture was placed in a sort of lounge area, designs well known to Korra as being from a high quality and expensive company. It even had a mini bar and pool table ( _did Asami actually play pool?_ ). It was modern, elegant, professional, and yet had touch of sadness. After seeing such a space in comparison to that of Asami's personal and secluded workshop, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel personal. It didn't feel like _her,_ and Korra wondering if Asami thought the same way.

Of all these things, what Korra noticed the immediately was the haphazard, pressboard coated-to-look contemporary, ugliest load of shit desk she had probably ever seen in her life. Loaded with a laptop and too many folders and papers. "Opal is this what she's been using? And why is there a huge chunk missing out of the top?"

The other woman gave a snort, tossing her bag and keys over onto a sofa. "Yep. Been using this ever since she broke the last one. And then she punched a hole in this one. You don't know how many times I've been tempted to light this on fire."

"I'm curious about how but at the same time I feel like I shouldn't ask."

Opal immediately started tossing files and papers into the chairs around the furniture abomination, pushing the seating aside. "There's a pretty sweet video. I'm actually editing it right now to showcase her wrestling moves."

Korra couldn't tell if Opal was joking or not, and Bolin's expression gave her no information. A shared shrug between the two came before they both set to work, moving furniture around to make room for cracking open the crate.

After they managed to remove the new desk out of its mobile home, Opal seemed almost too enthusiastic about throwing the old one into the crate-turned-dumpster. Moving all the shit off Asami's old desk was really the most time consuming part. Between the combined force of Korra and Bolin in addition to Opal's very specific placement instructions, it didn't take long for the freshly completed and very expensive work to be placed.

But _god damn_ did it look gorgeous. It was one thing to imagine something like this on paper and see it in real life. Primarily designed around mid-century modern concepts, the piece still felt contemporarily sleek. It wasn't gaudy, but the ebony wood choice definitely stood out. Enough bulk to support the idea of a utilitarian use but it didn't visually feel heavy. Lower stiletto legs, chamfered edging, a minimalist design that used attention to smaller details rather than grand embellishments to shine. It definitely belonged here.

All three of them stood in a short silence, almost as if they had witnessed a breath of fresh air. Arms crossed, Opal stood close enough to Korra to give her a soft nudge after a quiet minute. "This is the epitome of Asami's aesthetic in finer indulgences. I'm impressed."

Korra smiled and started to move items to a short, long bookcase that nested itself behind Asami's desk. It was less of a bookcase and more similar to an island. The task was easier said than done, Opal's paperwork stacking skills were the definition of messy, and a few stacks were definitely spilled over in the process. One particular instance left Korra scrambling to push them back together in a pile, hoping to god that it wasn't out of any specific order. It only took a second of recognition to spot that small, medium stock paper with the all too familiar line work mixed within the mess. The paper felt heavy between her fingers, the lines she hadn't seen in weeks reminding Korra of something long lost. Eyes studied marks that formed into sharp features which had been burned into her mind, and Korra couldn't help but become fascinated at the idea that someone new could bring back to life something that someone old destroyed.

She probably stared a little too long, and didn't noticed Bolin's own look on her until probably too late. She met the man with a blank expression, and Bolin only let out a small sigh.

"Have you talked to her about it yet?"

"No."

"Korra. It's been four years."

The brunette didn't need to be reminded. Talking about painful things wasn't ever easy, and as much closer as she felt about bringing up the topic, Korra couldn't get over that last little hill. It was like a hard pill to swallow, stuck in the back of your throat and never wanting to go down regardless of how much water you drank. She struggled with knowing that any and every ounce of effort given to someone else was never enough, Asami didn't deserve that. If she was being honest, she was able to think about it in the privacy of her mind but not face it in the concept of reality.

"Asami is different. Give her a chance."

Of course she was different. Korra could only nod. "I will."

It was then she noticed Opal had been subtly engaging her attention in their conversation. Looking back to Bolin, he gave a small comfort. "Korra, Asami is like that random curly fry you find mixed in the regular ones. And you save that one for last because fuck the normal fries, the curly one is where it's at."

Korra chuckled, the paper between her fingers placed on that desk and the stacks of files joined the others chaotically piled on the couch Opal had picked. "Thanks for that, Bolin. But you basically said Asami was a fry. I can't say I want to have a conversation with you about food, eating, Asami, eating Asami, or in any combination with you at all."

It took but a moment for Bolin to turn completely red, stammering for a response. He looked over to Opal in a plea but the only help she gave was wheezing out a laugh. Korra couldn't help it, Bolin was always the easiest to tease. The man had to have been the most innocent minded being she knew.

The sound almost didn't register over Opal's laughter but the hiss of the door caught Korra's attention, and she glanced over her shoulder to owner of the office they were all currently in. Seeing Asami in work attire wasn't new to her, but being witness to the CEO persona that was currently slipped across her face was definitely unfamiliar. Facial features were set in stone, professionally intimidating, sharp, almost frighteningly intense and it was all directed at the phone in her hand, unaware yet of the presence of others in the office. It wasn't surprising, Asami didn't expect anybody to be here at this time.

Seeing the difference between the Asami at work and the Asami at home left Korra curious at the duality and was the first to speak with a simple "Hey."

A gasp, a jump, a phone clattering to the floor all prefaced her expression to change very quickly from the stoic CEO mask to a calmer but slightly annoyed look. "Fuck shit Spirts hold me be back from kicking your ass." Korra couldn't help but laugh, and Asami seemed to calm after registering both Bolin and Opal. "What are you all doing…what is this?"

"This – " Opal motioned to the desk dramatically, as if she was on a game show. "Is what happens when Korra mopes like a sad puppy."

A snort came from the woodworker in response. "Please. I don't _mope._ I just had some spare time on my hands is all…"

An arched eyebrow came in response, and a knowing smirk settled over her face. Asami didn't reply, and it was probably for the benefit of the woodworker. She simply pushed her chair back to its original place and sat down, taking her time opening drawers and stare at some of the finer details Korra knew the average person would've missed. Seeing Asami in this environment, she could agree with Opal. This definitely fit Asami's aesthetic. "To be honest I had high expectations but this isn't what I was expecting at all. Beyond, in fact. And paired with being way ahead of schedule?"

There wasn't much she could do other than give a smile. Saying something like 'thanks' really didn't feel like enough, but responding with a mutually understood silence felt right enough.

Asami sat back in the seat, seeming to ponder. "I'm sure my shareholders and competitors alike would chomp at the bit for something of this quality, simply to flaunt the size of their bank accounts."

"Isn't that what you're doing, flaunting yours?" Based on the outrageous amount the total cost of this piece was, Korra couldn't imagine what it would have been like taking more projects on of that financial size.

And it took not even a second for her demeanor to change. Asami's voice caught a little lower, softer, but picked up a certain amount of cordial intimidation. "Why yes, but I'm not particularly fond of sharing things that are mine."

Her brain barely registered a single whisper of a thought with Asami looking at her like that. Head cocked to the side, slightly tilted back, red lips parted in a barely noticeable smirk pointing up to intense green meeting her own stare. Korra likened the feeling to that of prey. Like a little animal knowing they were being hunted. Cliché probably, but accurate. She wondered if this is how the CEO amassed such a company or if it was simply a response directed at her. Whatever it was it charged the silence that Korra was at a loss to fill.

A huff sounded to the side and Korra managed to tear her gaze away to see Opal roll her eyes. She waved a hand back and forth in the air while snatching her bag up. "Alright we all gotta go before you two start fucking in this office." She started pushing Bolin towards the door as his face began turning red again. "Asami pick up your phone, leave the mobile dumpster, and move your asses so we can start drinking."

She took a long annoyed sigh before getting out from behind the desk. "Please let it be broken. We kicked off a new military contract on this trip and the woman overseeing it is fucking incessant. She will not give me a second to breathe."

As if on cue the device in discussion lit up with a new message. It was only on for a brief moment before it turned back to a black screen as Korra picked it up and handed it over. "No such luck. But I think you can afford shutting this thing off at least for a night."

At this point, Opal and Bolin had already made their way into the elevator. "The longer you two stand there and chat, the less time we have to throw drinks down Korra's throat and get her to dance."

Asami side-eyed an inquisitive look. "Dance?"

"As if that's going to happen."

A small hum of curiosity came from red lips in response. "Ah, well. We'll see how long you can last before I break you."

And she was given absolutely no time to form as response, not that Korra was even able to, before Asami left with a wisp of dark hair and lavender. She joined the others in the elevator, they quickly left the building and parted ways to respective apartments to change (which sounded more like Opal and Asami formulating a drinking plan). But the friendly cold shoulder and ghosted smirk Asami gave as they divided paths left Korra feeling like she was bleeding prey in hungry waters, and it was the most welcome of challenges.

Clubs were never her thing. She didn't have a problem with lights and sounds and the constant thud in her chest. It was simply just the amount of bodies collected in once place, too much body heat, and _dancing_. Korra was not a fan so often times she sat at the bar, entertaining a drink while curiously watching other people who were completely oblivious to anything outside of their immediate arm length. That was the most entertaining, and it's what she was currently doing now. So far she had seen four drinks dropped on either another person or the ground (which is why the bars occasionally used plastic cups on nights like these), two guys get dragged out by security (by what she didn't have a chance to catch) and a girl nearly burst into tears after security took away her ID and confiscating it at door after determining it was fake. All of a span of maybe thirty minutes because Korra managed to get there way sooner than her friends.

It wasn't a loss though, she was three drinks in, two of which she hadn't even bought. The bartender simply slid them her way with a nod and said they were already paid for, but Korra hadn't determined yet by whom. She only accepted them by the simple fact that a bartender handing her a drink meant he probably wanted to keep his job and not drug people. A breath through her nose was filled with the smell of people and alcohol, and she held it for a moment before downing the rest of the liquid in her glass. Korra didn't even have enough time to set it down before another Old Fashioned had appeared in front her, the bartender nodding. It was curious, the woodworker's favorite drink used to be an Old Fashioned but that was what felt like a lifetime ago. Nobody here really knew that and she wondered it if it was coincidental or not. Either way it was free. She wasn't going to complain.

The close warmth of a body suddenly pressed to her side, and she looked to see Opal with a wide grin. She looped an arm around Korra's elbow and propped her head up on an arm rested against the bar. The corners of her mouth started to show the smallest amount of a sloppy grin, and her cheeks were already flushed. Korra couldn't help but quietly laugh to herself, but ended up having to speak slightly louder to be heard over music. "Did you and Asami pregame?"

The grin widened. "Yep."

"For less than thirty minutes?"

"Yep."

"….Jungle Juice?"

"Yeeeep."

She laughed again and scrunched up her nose. "That explains why you smell like ethanol."

That scent didn't last long, it was soon replaced with a trace of floral and a bit of spice. Soft fingers trailed their way up her neck to settle tracing a jaw, and quiet lips ghosted the opposite ear. "You could have come, Korra."

The darker skinned woman barely heard it over the rest of the noise, but that voice was laced with _fucking sin_ and left a shiver running up her spine. Asami's hand went away as fast as it had appeared and she took her place at the bar to Korra's other side, giving her full attention to trying to get the bartender's. Their interaction was short and he returned with a stack of little plastic shot glasses, lining them up in front of Korra and started to fill them all with a clear liquid. Korra almost didn't hear the 'yessss' from Opal next to her, and Asami's attention returned to the pair.

Her expression was mostly filled with mischief, and Korra couldn't particularly think of what to say so she just picked something. She couldn't think well under that stare as a matter of fact. "So uh how was your two weeks? The work thing? Contracts, yeah?"

The mischief didn't leave as she studied Korra for a few seconds longer before moving to the plastic cups on the bar. "Work – " Three slid to Opal.

"Is not – " Three slid to Korra.

"Something I particularly want to talk about right now." Bolin had finally showed up at this point, and the remaining half went to him. A nod to Opal and the two women slammed the shots back in quick succession, leaving Bolin and Korra behind on the game. It was almost terrifying. She shot Bolin a look and they had to speed run their drinks in a similar fashion before the bartender collected the empty containers and disappeared. It didn't stop him from returning with another Old Fashioned directed to Korra.

"So…what do you want to talk about then?"

"I don't particularly want to talk at all."

She started to move away from the bar, but hesitated long enough to clue Korra in on what she wanted. The woodworker knew it was going to come up before she even got here. "I told you, not going to happen. I don't dance."

No words came in response, but Korra was only left with a dark stare and a demanding smirk before Asami left and was swallowed by the small crowd of people. The whole exchange felt like it took three times longer than in reality. She could only grasp her drink and stare into the mass and pretend she wasn't trying to catch of glimpse of the businesswoman.

The arm that was wrapped around her own finally released, and Opal twisted Korra's face to the side, both hands clutching her head. The glare that met her was probably the most unnerving one she had ever saw on Opal. "You. Are. Fucking. Stupid." She dropped her hands to grab Bolin's who gave a shrug and a wink before he was dragged away as well. And then it was all but just Korra, at the bar, drink in hand.

Time began to move past her again, and Korra's habit of people watching continued. New faces kept flooding into the building, the bar behind her getting tighter and tighter with the influx of people. Bolin and Opal came in and out of the crowd at different moments, getting drinks, berating Korra, being completely wrapped up in their own bubble with endearing smiles on their faces. Old Fashions came by and were quickly drank, new ones always replacing the previous before Korra even had a chance to finish. She imagined she was probably at number seven. Maybe eight. She stopped counting them. There wasn't a point. But it was also at this point that Korra had to admit she was starting to feel the inebriating effects of the drinks. Her head was a little lighter, her reactions and movements felt a smidge slower. Yet she definitely didn't manage to miss the set of bright green eyes that had made their way back into her line of vision. It was of vibrant color, all subtle temptation. She moved in and out of sight, circling between people like a predator on the prowl. And that she was, constantly taunting Korra.

She was beginning to agree with Opal. She was an idiot. There was really no excuse. There was no lack of individuals approaching Asami in interest, that much was true. Because of course that would happen when she was an incredibly talented, _incredibly_ sexy, highly successful CEO of a technology company that she built with a brain on par with Einstein. But she hardly gave them even a sliver of acknowledgment and continued to simply wait, taking her time but making her attention on Korra very apparent.

And that attention was steadily drilling into her skull right now. Korra had probably the most beautiful woman ever to grace her eyeballs out on the dancefloor staring carnality right into her soul, and Korra said no. So here she was. Alone. Nursing mystery drinks from a mystery stranger she hardly get a shit about at this point, because there was this goddess of a woman stalking her right now.

At last, Asami had shot a different kind look across the room to Korra. She couldn't describe it as anything less than a finality, the ultimatum of challenge, sin incarnate, and then she was gone. But Asami didn't pop back up after a few minutes of watching for signs of her.

 _So god damn stupid._

Catching his attention, Korra looked to the bartender to see the man leaning slightly to speak over the music. "Another Old Fashioned?"

The cold glass under her fingers still held some cubes of ice, the liquid nearly gone. She took her hand away from it to push it forward to him, condensation still resting on Korra's finger tips and leaving a slight chill. "Ah. No. But I do need a rocks glass filled with the hardest shit you got."

He simply raised an eyebrow. "Everclear?"

"Okay you got a point here, I'm not trying to die. Whiskey is good then. No ice."

The man just chuckled at her, taking the used glass away to replace it with a fresh, empty one. He said nothing about her choice as the glass started to fill, nothing about the reason why she wanted basically six or so shots at once. He said nothing when she literally chugged the drink in half a second and gave the it back.

The fire was already growing inside of her stomach, the burn not unwelcome. "Actually who is trying to kill me with all these drinks?"

A fresh, white towel swiped across the bar top, pulling any moisture up with it and the man shrugged. "Woman. Black hair, green eyes. Real intimidating. She gave me your description, a drink name, and made a point to say make sure you always had one in hand. I don't ask questions when people hand me money, so."

The guy had pretty sound logic, actually. She thanked him as Korra rose from her place at the bar, taking a moment to think about just sitting back down and resuming what she had previously been doing. The thrumming in her chest seemed to be more noticeable now and Korra could feel the sway of alcohol clutching at her consciousness. And that alcohol was saying 'fuck you' to all of those barriers and walls and second thoughts Korra ever had, leaving the singular sentence that pushed her out and into the crowd of people.

 _She is a curly fry._

The air was thick and grew thicker by the second as more people filled in the small space. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine a strange type of silence where the sound and feeling of music just drove everything else away. It was a silence that still had a noise but cleared her brain of too many thoughts.

And Asami had many thoughts.

The most prominent thought was how absolutely maddening and infuriating a certain woodworker woman was currently. She had not moved from her spot at the bar no matter how many times Asami had circled around and taunted her. She was relentless in her direction of attention towards the artist, pulling out all the cards she had to try to get this woman to join her in the throng of people. Opal had been her constant drink flow, bringing shots by, dancing, leaving, bringing more back. The more inebriated she got, the more in tune Asami was with her own raw attractions.

But Spirits, Korra was a stubborn woman. She had an easier time getting men to sell their entire companies to her for almost nothing in comparison.

Opal had returned one more time, two small glasses in hand. One was pushed into pale hands opposite of her. "To be honest I'm surprised you've given this much effort in trying to get her out here."

Bitter alcohol hit her throat. Lights danced in her eyes. The pressure around her grew with new additions of people. "She's more of a challenge than I originally thought she'd be."

A hand caught Opal's, and Bolin flashed her a sloppy grin. "Don't let her fool you. She's weak around you." And the two disappeared not a second later.

Her patience with Korra's own resolve was waning, and Asami figured the only option left was to stop teasing her and just push her over the edge. So naturally she acted on the option, finding Korra's eyesight for the last time. Dark hair was pushed over one shoulder, leaving the other exposed. She had the foreknowledge to wear one of those long sleeve tops that had the neck hole slung out and over a shoulder, baring a fair amount of light pastel skin that contrasted heavily against the black of hair and fabric. Asami had the feeling the exposure of her own skin had the same effect of Korra as that tanned skin had on the CEO. So she used it to her advantage, tilting her head up and slightly to the side, her neck like a beacon. The beginnings of sly smile played on the corner of her crimson lips, pulling the bottom one ever so slightly between white teeth. Her last glance into that ocean of bright blue eyes said nothing except the hopes of 'come find me' and Asami moved deeper into the pulsating crowd.

Music filled the spaces in her brain and Asami simply melded with it. The pressure of people was all around her at this point, the atmosphere changing with each song and the crowd undulated like a wave. Being by herself in a crowd of strangers, there were definitely a few who tried, and failed, to move in the same proximity as Asami's own area. She'd make her intentions clear, move to a different space, shutting it down before it even started. Their presence wasn't what she wanted, not the _person_ she wanted.

But eventually the scent of pine trees occupied her place and a phantom's touch trailed against her hip. Asami didn't stop this one. It was what she had been craving for two god damn weeks. It was tentative, shy in a way. Okay not exactly what she had been craving for those two weeks. So she lead that hand with her own and backed herself into warmth, fingertips pressing against soft skin but Asami knew they were calloused artist hands on the opposite side. It took a moment of guidance but Korra caught on to direction quickly.

Time was relative, it existed while at the same time not. Five minutes could have been five hours, time could have stood still entirely, but Asami didn't register the idea of time as a concept anymore. It was just fluctuating beat after beat. It was nothing but heat and oscillation and sensuality. Softer in some spots, firmer in others. There was never a loss of contact or a movement, and the small puffs of breath against her neck were driving her up the wall.

Truth be damned if up against a wall is where she didn't want to be right now.

She turned to face a sincere expression that touched blue eyes. Small traces of blue looked back to Asami but majority of the stare was dark. Insatiable. Tenacious. Salacious. Asami couldn't think of any more description words with the way she was being watched. A pale hand snaked around Korra's neck, there was enough space for hardly a single breath between them and it took all of business woman's control to not close it. Not here, at least. The most she could do was tear her gaze away from the dark void of Korra's and attempt to plot an escape for two.

"You seem to rather want to be somewhere else."

Her voice was a low tone, not necessarily quiet but it reverberated through Asami's mind as it was spoken into her ear, heard just over the music. It made her chuckle slightly. "I would rather be with you."

"…..but you're already with me?"

The hand she had attached to the woodworker's neck moved to slide between locks of hair. Korra was never one for subtly, but neither was Asami one for frank boldness. Fingers twisted around the brunette strands, she pulled back just enough to make a point and moved forward to graze lips against an ear. She wasn't aggressive about it. She easily could be. "Yes. But not in the way I want right now."

"Ah…oh. OH. I see…I don't…I mean… _fuck_." She could hear Korra take a breath to collect herself. "You're drunk. I'm drunk. You…"

Aggression won. Her grip tightened just enough. "I haven't been drunk for the past two weeks, Korra. And I'm sure you haven't been either."

Korra's eyes flickered between her own, taking just a slightly longer moment to comprehend. Her response was not vocal and the next thing she knew Asami was weaving in-between the crowd of people, fingers laced and clutched around the others. It felt like forever until they finally broke free and through the doors, passing a few people and hitting chilly air and Asami remembering she didn't bring a jacket whatsoever. But she was instantly surrounded by the warmth radiating from Korra and there were no complaints as the pair started to move.

"I see my drinks for you aren't going to waste, Korra."

It was a stranger's voice. But it was familiar. Familiar in a sense, she couldn't pinpoint the voice. It took a moment to register but the heat Asami was previously wrapped in seemed to dissipate entirely and Korra froze. She was like stone, dead stare in the opposite direction of that voice and breath was clearly held in. The confusion regarding Korra's reaction remained, even as Asami turned to see the origin of the speaker. And she was met with a woman in a black coat, dark hair, eyes that mimicked her own green. The memory linked to the small mole just below her eye was on the edge of Asami's mind, yet it wasn't until after the other woman had broken the gaze with tight smile and ducked inside that Asami remembered.

She remembered her business trip and remembered the new contracts and the fact that where they had gone was bum fuck nowhere in negative twenty degree weather to look at various facilities.

She remembered that military woman blowing up her god damn phone every second of the day after Asami had signed the agreement papers.

She remembered, in that instant, General fucking Kuvira.


	9. Chapter 9

_-I can say this was my least favorite chapter to write. But I feel as though there's a lot of important content that's pertinent to the story._

 _-Enjoy your fluff. Enjoy your angst._

* * *

The first cigarette was a struggle. Getting one out of the pack was the first difficulty but when it came to lighting it, hands struggled. It took a few failed tries before Asami took hold of Korra's shaking hands and removed the lighter from cold fingers, the now familiar 'chink' of the spark wheel as the flame materialized from the top and lit the other woman's cigarette. A deep inhale and the pair has started walking, an arm laced loosely, but comfortingly, around the woodworker's own.

It wasn't until the fourth cigarette that she had spoken. "I'm sorry."

"Korra you have nothing to apologize for."

"I…I was going to tell you. Today actually."

Asami tightened her grip on a warm arm in a small amount of relief. "You're not obligated to tell me anything."

"You deserve to know."

She met sad blue eyes in understanding. "Only when you're ready."

The remainder of the walk was in silence. Asami had sobered up fast, not surprisingly, and the same could be said for Korra. The Bench Dog finally stood before them, dark and quiet. Cold keys were pressed into the business woman's hands, and the warmth of contact between the two ended. Asami had already missed it.

"My apartment's upstairs, you can let yourself in. I think…I need to take a breather for just a moment."

A small smile, a chaste kiss to the corner of a tan mouth, and Asami found herself moving through that thick scent of pine that enveloped the inside of the building.

And now, twenty minutes later, the Future Industries CEO had found herself seated on a well-worn sofa. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander around the living space of an artist, it ended up being almost what she had expected. Sketchbooks were scattered on every surface that had space, it seemed Korra had made a wooden container, shelf, or jar for virtually everything in the apartment. Some of her shelves had various video game titles among spaces (of course Korra would have been an RPG player). Sketches, designs, and furniture blueprints were haphazardly plastered over an area of the wall that had a drafting table placed against it, also full of papers as well as take out boxes from a Chinese place Asami knew quite well. If the surfaces were Korra's domain, the spaces on the floor were definitely Naga's. Not walking on some part of a dog toy was probably impossible. Some toys looked intact, others had bits of fabric and stuffing stuck in the carpet. Korra didn't have many photos but the ones she did were all of the white furry pup.

The owner of those dog toys was currently lying next to Asami on the couch, the canine's head rested in her lap but very focused on the door. She could tell Naga was slightly on edge, and she wondered if it was her own apprehensiveness the dog was picking up on. Soft petting to white fur was all she could give in reassurance until Naga's ears perked and her head shot up.

It took a few passing moments longer for Asami to hear the sound of slow footfalls up the steps outside the door. A soft jiggle of the doorknob and she was met with a bright blue stare. It shared a lot of things at once. Sadness. Exhaustion. Fear. But also showed bits of contentment. There was a soft thudding as Naga's tail waved back and forth, hitting the cushions of the couch.

"Hey." Naga had leaped across the room to greet Korra, who was now ruffling her ears but still looking at Asami.

"Hey back."

Asami made no movements to change her own position. She let Korra take her time, tiredly moving across the room to finally settle next to her on the couch. Brunette hair brushed against the back as Korra rested her head on the couch, eyes closed. It took a moment and a deep breath before she finally spoke. "So Kuvira..."

Asami said nothing in response, she waited until blue eyes cracked open. The woodworker wasn't facing her, Korra's eyesight floated around the room for the most part but sometimes it settled on nothing at all. The raven haired woman had turned her body to face Korra's, one leg tucked under the other and her head propped up against an arm on the back of the couch. She felt a small pull of déjà vu, this was very similar to the way they had first spoken in Asami's apartment during that horrible hangover of a morning.

"She's my ex. I'm sure you've probably assumed that."

"Well I can't say I'm not slightly curious, at least."

If her body language was any indicator, Korra was quite nervous. It was slight, subtle, and Asami knew the other woman was trying to seem composed but the quiet noise of Korra's finger scratching against the seam of her pants was a display of the opposite.

"The story is probably going to seem like not that big of a deal once you hear it."

She couldn't do the scratching anymore. It was such an audible representation of Korra's own anxieties. The action of lightly tugging on Korra's hand to lace their fingers together was much more automatic than Asami would have initially pegged herself to do. But she did and there was a solace in that.

"Your feelings are always valid, Korra."

There was a sincerity in the small smile she gave in return, and that atmospheric tension of fear seemed to immediately give way in lieu to the small, tiny circles that Asami felt grazing her own hand.

"I guess I'll very-long-story-short it for you. But this was maybe seven years ago, when I was still young and stupid and just about fully coming to terms with the fact that I was massively gay, living in the south where it's winter practically all year. I did a lot of art, many types, I was ambitious in that sense. I was much more open and expressive about who I was. My dad's the chief of the tribe so we were always meeting hotshots from politics to military to private business."

 _Wait what?_ "Chief Tonraq? You're telling me you decided to not mention the fact that you're the chief's daughter?"

A chuckle came in response. "I'll get to that part. But no. I have to keep some of my mysterious charm of course."

Asami simply replied with a click of her tongue caged in a grin, and allowed the silence to let Korra continue. "So there I was dragged along to some type of event with him, I can't remember what kind. He liked to basically show me off like any proud father does, but he also used it as a type of training technique considering it was his hope that I would take his place in the future as a chief. But anyways. Enter Kuvira to one of these events, seeming stoic and enigmatic and all the opposite things that I was. They say opposites attract and I suppose that cliché was true to an extent."

The words that Asami would have chosen to describe said General Kuvira were quite different. "So was she there on like a military thing then?"

The soft circles tracing pale skin hadn't stopped and a nod came to answer her question. "Yeah, it was maybe her second or third year in, and she had just been stationed on a post nearby for a rotation. Showed up to this event as a sort of gopher for an officer. We hit it off, eventually started dating. This whole ordeal was for about three years, by the way."

"Jesus, three years?" She couldn't help saying it. "Korra I can barely last five minutes in a room with that woman."

"Yeah, well…" There was a moment where she shifted, a small bristle of discomfort clear. "Like I said. Young and stupid and when I get attached I get blind, clearly. It was fine for a while but I did miss a lot of signs. In retrospect she was probably using me as a step up the ladder, dating the daughter of basically the chief of a nation put her in a lot of places she wouldn't have been without. She fast tracked up the ranks, and three years later her rotation in the south was over. That was her way of keeping me as that step, either go with her or she would break it off."

Asami definitely knew the general was an ambitious woman, but now thinking on it she seemed like the type to do whatever she needed. The information wasn't surprising, to say the least. "So…you left?"

"Yes and no. Not at first. It was the art that made me stay and the art that made me leave."

It's a tragic concept, something so valued being a double edged sword. This was the topic that built the most curiosity in Asami, if she was being honest. "Raava, yes?"

The woodworker sighed, and this is when her expression became laced with the small sadness. "Yes. That's sort of complicated to explain I suppose, but I made and sold art anonymously. My dad really was the bull at the front of the herd on this one, since he had so many connections a lot of the pieces ended up in a lot of highbrow areas. And you know how rich people are, as soon as one billionaire has one, every billionaire needs one too. But as much as I talked about loving the expression, I didn't like the idea of fame that came with it. So we agreed to create like a pen name, make and sell under it. And it generated a lot of cash. Cash I didn't know what to do with, so everything I made went right back into the tribe. Hospitals, schools, support group systems, whatever we needed that's where it went."

The world of money was no mystery to Asami. A small swirl of self-reflection began to turn, listening to what Korra had chosen on her own financial path. "That is noble."

A nod. "I like to think so." The circles had stopped at this point. "She had told me I was selfish for wanting to stay, I had told her she was selfish for wanting me to go. That whole conversation was just a giant back and forth battle, but what really finished it off was when Kuvira had said I had outlived my usefulness anyways."

Asami has had years of being crushed under pressure and stress and high expectations. It has conditioned her. Steeled her. But it had not prepared her for the way her blood began to boil at such an indication. "She fucking said that?" She was sure Korra could feel her frustration through the reflexive squeeze of her hand.

"Yep." The pop of the 'p' floated through the air, an annunciation. "Right to my face. Among other things equally terrible. So off she went, and there I stayed. I tried so hard to go back to a normal life, to enjoy art the way I used to. But somehow through the last maybe two years the direction of my art changed to how I felt during that relationship. And I couldn't go back anymore, because all drawing did to me was remind me of her. It didn't matter what I chose as a subject because she had somehow became so deeply engrained into my personal artist process that I hadn't even noticed it until it was too late."

"So that's how I moved here and started something new. It just hurt, you know? Listening to those words come from someone I could have loved, and somehow she was still able to destroy the one thing I actually did love. I couldn't exist in that place anymore if I wanted to move on."

A few soft moments of silence passed, Asami couldn't remember what time it was. Or even what time it had been. That seemed to happen a lot recently. But the brief time glided by from silence to a slow awareness of the smallest of sounds, normally undiscernible during the day. Short quiet breaths from Naga. A low buzzing from the fridge across the room. The faint pulsing of the blood pushing through her own neck, and Asami began to pick up on the pounding pressure of Korra's own heartbeat through their hands. It wasn't rapid or erratic, but held a slow and steady pace that occasionally quickened. And the few half-beats that picked up slightly were just barely noticeable.

"And did you move on?"

It wasn't until this point in the conversation that blue drifted to finally meet green, the direction of Korra's emotion changed to something brighter. "It wasn't until now that I realized I just about have."

And Asami believed her.

* * *

"So not only were you the chief's daughter, you were the tribe's reigning food eating competition champion?"

"Yep."

"In all categories?"

"Yeah I was really competitive…"

White, floppy ears bounded back over her way, dropping the tennis ball back into her lap. Beady eyes looked expectantly back up at Asami to throw it, which she did. She was weak for puppy eyes. The apartment's size reflected that of the wood shop below it, so there was quite enough room for Naga to move freely. She lost track of how many types the canine ran back and forth with her ball.

"Tell me about your family?"

It was the first point in their conversation Korra had gotten up from her spot, she went over to rummage through a shelf and returned with a photo book in hand. Opening to the one of the first pages showed a man and a woman both dressed in what looked like traditional garb with a little girl hoisted up on the man's shoulders. The girl was missing a tooth from a huge sincere grin. There was no doubt that was Korra, and the missing teeth just made the atmosphere of the family more adorable. Korra settled more comfortably next to Asami, pointing to each figure. "So that's my dad Tonraq, my mom Senna, and then me. Obviously. I don't have any siblings. I have cousins though but they're honestly kind of scary."

Asami sat flipping through pages in the woodworker's hands, revealing photo after photo of quaint moments Very early baby photos. Birthdays. Family trips. A nearly naked toddler Korra running out of a bath covered in bubbles. She seemed to come from the type of family that values quality time. Each picture had a story, a personality by itself but Korra would commentate on what it was about when she noticed Asami lingering on a particular one. There was so much information the CEO was being given that she enjoyed soaking up, learning about quiet and personal moments of the other woman. A turn of a page brought her attention to a photo of Tonraq on a motorcycle, bundled to withstand the sharp bite of the cold. "So I see bikes run in the family."

Korra grinned. "Yes. My dad has like a motorcycle gang and everything. If that's what you want to call a bunch of old dudes riding around at like twenty miles an hour just for the fun of it. My earliest memories are of him taking me to school on the back of his bike. Just kind of stuck with me as an interest."

There was another photo next to it, with a small Korra sporting an overly large helmet, quite obviously her father's. "So what did your family think of the move?"

It was at this moment the atmosphere took a shift, a sort of bitter feeling. Korra truly wore her heart on her sleeve and it was easy for the paler woman to pick up on the change. "My relocation was pretty sudden, I didn't really discuss it over. And to be honest I haven't been back since. I feel like they'd see me as a disappointment."

She turned the rest of the pages to close the photo book and Asami pulled the other woman's hand, turning it over to place her own hand between fingers like a puzzle. Korra's palm was rough in callus but warm in comfort. "I know it's probably a little pretentious for me to say this without ever meeting them, but from what I gather about your stories I don't believe that to be the case. It's possible to be disappointed in a person's a decision but remain proud of the person themselves."

"It's probably too late at this point, Asami."

"I lost my mother when I was six." Blue had a way of being extremely expressive in this moment, the way eyes shot up to hers in attention. The information sort of bubbled up, the CEO hadn't intended for their conversation to take this route. But she couldn't stifle down the notion that it was vastly important in this setting. "I acquired Future Industries after my father was put in prison, sentenced to pay for all the very illegal business decisions he made. It didn't paint a glorious picture for the company and I've spent the all energy I have turning that back around. He lived in prison, and I never brought myself to get past my abandonment issues to tell him that I still loved him before he died there as well."

Asami saw pain, she saw guilt. And it wasn't something she enjoyed seeing settle over the woodworker's expression. "Asami…I – "

"Korra." Cutting her off was the only thing Asami could do to stop any type of words of pity from tumbling from the woman, like human nature usually did. "I'm not trying to guilt trip you, I've healed. I lost both my parents at probably a very young age, and I've accepted a lot of things about that. I'm just saying you have the opportunity that I regret passing by and you shouldn't let it go."

The warmth under her hand vanished. She was sad to see it go and only sort-of mildly disgusted with herself to be so quick to miss it. Yet that warmth merely moved to her lips as Korra met her with the quietest kiss. It held no sympathy like Asami had expected but was filled with a type of gratitude she had wanted, and she knew it was the easiest thing to reciprocate back.

Korra couldn't help but absentmindedly card her fingers through long, black hair. Slight rays of light started to filter through into the room from the window, a gentle reminder to Korra that sleep was a difficult thing to come by. Floating low volume voices from the Food Network had ceased a while ago when she had shut off the TV briefly after Asami had finally fallen asleep. And Korra had discovered that the CEO was definitely a heavy cuddler. It made her grin. Asami would probably argue against that fact once she woke up but the truth was in the way she had an arm clutched around Korra's waist, the very slow and very quiet breaths tickling tan skin on the hollow of her neck.

Asami was such a breath of fresh air. The pull of the woodworker's own anxieties weighed her down for the entire duration of their conversation, but she wasn't met with anything she expected. Korra expected pity, like anybody would in those types of situations. But Asami surprised her, she asked questions about her family and life in the south, what it was like being a chief's daughter, how Naga came into her life. What material she liked to use the most in making art. What subjects she found the most enjoyable to render.

It was her, of course.

She couldn't bring herself to say that though.

The new knowledge of Asami's own parents put Korra's in perspective. She knows it wasn't her intention but Korra _had_ the opportunity to connect with her parents, and here she was with her self-deprecation. Of course, some people probably had good reason to cut ties with family, but did _she?_ That answer was a definite no, and Korra was mostly shitty with herself that it took four years to pull her own head out of her ass. Four years and one enigmatic woman to ask the question that nobody else had.

Family set aside, there was still the one last unsettled situation that she had so desperately avoided. Korra picked up her phone from where it had rested on a coffee table, staring at the unlock screen for brief moment before opening it up and scrolling through her contacts. Tired eyes landed on the one she had been searching for, the one contact she should had gotten rid of a long time ago. And strangely enough, Korra found it surprising easily to open up a message to the number.

She found it easy to find the words and thumb out a text.

" _I'd like to talk."_

She found it easy to accept a feeling of nervousness but accept the fear was gone.

She found it easy to glance down and recognize that all this took was truly opening herself up to another person. Easy to accept talking about it. Easy to allow a dark haired engineer to be that person.

Korra found it easy to fall in love with Asami Sato.

She couldn't say that's where she was but Korra could admit that was definitely where she was headed.

She hit send on the text of Kuvira's contact and simply waited.

* * *

 _-I...think the next chapter will probably be the last._


End file.
